We Remember
by melonbar92
Summary: Heartbreaking memories and unexpected surprises. Confusion and shock. Love and death. Hate and betrayal. Finding and losing. Read and review! COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

She had a routine now.

Every morning she would wake up and go for a run. She'd go five miles nonstop and then go home, take a shower, and head on to breakfast. Every Monday she had scrambled eggs. She made it in a special way so it tasted like it did when she ate it in the cafeteria at her old school. It gave her memories and she liked to remember the past.

After breakfast she would sit by the phone and write him a letter. She had a whole stack of these letters in a box on top of her dresser drawer. Soon she would need a new box. This one was almost all full.

After writing the letter she would seal it in an envelope, address it, and then put it inside her box instead of mailing it. Then she would sit at the computer and type up an e-mail, save it, and not click the send button.

She lived by herself now. After she had graduated from Pacific Coast Academy, she had moved out of her parent's house and moved into an apartment, living on the seventh floor of the thirty floor building. It often got lonely eating by herself, watching TV by herself… she had lost contact with her friends and rarely spoke to anyone. She had not expected to live like this, but that was how it went.

The morning of July 1, Zoey Brooks woke up and checked the calendar. It was a Monday. She often had trouble keeping track of the days since nothing special marked each one. After brushing her teeth, she set out for a run. She ran along the sidewalk, keeping her breath in check. Her feet pounded on the pavement. She passed by the pizza place, the old corner store, and several fire hydrants. By the time she got back to her apartment, she felt completely wiped out.

After a shower, she settled down by the phone to write her letter. She gnawed on the end of her pencil and tapped her fingernails against the table, making a clicking sound. Finally she began to write. Words started to form themselves and soon Zoey was writing at a rapid pace, her eyes glued to the paper. When the phone rang she was so startled that she dropped the pencil and nearly knocked the paper off the desk.

The phone rang again. Zoey just stared at it, unsure of what to do. The phone had not rung in many, many years. The last phone call that she had received had brought her terrible news. She gulped as the phone rang a third time. She reached over and picked up the receiver. Hand shaking, she brought it to her ear.

"Hello?"

A shrill squeal was heard on the other line. Zoey yanked the phone away from her ear, gasping a little in surprise. When the person on the other end had stopped screaming, Zoey pressed the phone against her ear again, hoping that the person would not shriek again.

"Hi, Zoey, it's me, Nicole!"

Zoey frowned slightly as she tried to remember who Nicole was. Was it that girl with the glasses who always did strange experiments? Or was it the girl who always had a messy bed? Was this Nicole even from PCA? It had been eight years since she had graduated and her memory was a bit foggy.

"Sorry," Zoey said, sounding apologetic. "I don't think I know a Nicole. Um… maybe this is a wrong number?"

"No, no, I'm positive this is right," Nicole said. "This is Zoey Brooks, right?"

"Uh… yes… well, yeah, that's me." Zoey felt stupid just saying the words.

"You seriously don't remember me? It's Nicole- Nicole Bristow! We were best friends at PCA!" Nicole was practically shouting. She sounded hurt and excited at the same time and she was breathing hard as if she had just run a marathon.

A faint image of a brown haired girl appeared in Zoey's mind. "Oh…" she said. "Now I remember. You were the one who liked boys and always blow dried your hair." She smiled a bit at the memory. "I remember now."

"Finally," Nicole said. She sounded very eager now. "So Zoey, how come you never answered the phone when I called you before? I mean, I must have called you a million times, but you never answered."

"Oh sorry," Zoey mumbled. "I… guess I never heard it ring." She scolded herself for her unbelievable lie. How could she never hear it ring? The truth was she hadn't answered the phone because she didn't want to talk to anyone. At first the phone had rung off the hook, but gradually they stopped. After a year they stopped all together. When the doorbell rang, Zoey didn't answer it. Instead she ignored it or pretended she wasn't home.

"So what did you have for breakfast today?" Nicole asked cheerfully.

Zoey was dumbfounded. Then she remembered that the year before they graduated, Zoey and Nicole had always asked each other what they had had for breakfast and recorded it down in a notebook. It had no real purpose, but it was something they had done for fun.

"Scrambled eggs," Zoey recalled. "I made it like they made it at the cafeteria in PCA."

"You remember the scrambled eggs, but you don't remember your best friend?" Nicole said sounding slightly offended, but also a bit confused.

Zoey didn't know what to say. It was true that she had erased all memories that had scarred her and only kept a few scraps that were good, pleasant, and had done nothing to hurt her in any way. Her friends were precious to her while she had them, but after they stopped going to school together, she felt as if seeing them would just bring back terrible memories.

"Anyways, I bet you're wondering why I called you after seven years," Nicole said, quickly dropping the subject on the scramble eggs.

"Oh… right…" Zoey mumbled. She was starting to regret answering the phone in the first place. She hadn't done it in years so why had she now? She wasn't sure. She figured it was the shock of hearing the loud ringing sound in so long.

"Well?" Nicole prompted. "Guess!"

Zoey sighed heavily, not sure of what to say. "I don't know."

There was a pause and then Nicole finally gave in. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you," she said. "Dana called me yesterday and said that we should have a little get-together. You know all us PCA friends. The whole gang! We're going to have it at my place tomorrow night. Can you make it?"

Zoey felt something inside her stomach churn. Tears sprang into her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. Her throat was tightening and she didn't want to start sobbing on the phone. Thoughts started to drift into her head and she felt like her brain was going to explode.

It had happened a month before they were going to graduate. Zoey had been cheerfully getting the phone numbers and addresses of everyone she knew so she could contact them after they left PCA. As she was getting Mark's e-mail, Michael had rushed up to her, shaking like mad.

"Michael, what's the matter?" Zoey had asked, looking concerned.

"It's… it's Chase," Michael said. She realized his face was tear stained and his eyes bloodshot. She grabbed a chair and seated Michael in it to calm him down.

"What about Chase?" she asked, frowning. She hoped Chase didn't fall into the newly planted rose bush. She remembered the last one he had fallen in. He had gotten a lot of cuts and scratches from the thorns and had also gotten in trouble from the dean for ruining the roses.

"He was going …" Michael was shaking uncontrollably now. Zoey started to get scared. Fear was creeping up on her like a monster under the bed. She stared straight into Michael's eyes.

"What's wrong with Chase?"

"His parents came," Michael mumbled his head in his hands. "His parents came to visit and they took Chase for a drive. They were on their way to go see a movie together… you know, a nice family thing to do. But then…"

"But then…"

"There was a crash," Michael said, his voice cracking. "There was a crash and Chase's parents…" He took a deep breath to steady himself. He looked straight at Zoey and said in a quiet voice, "They died."

Zoey's heart skipped a beat. She blinked back tears and felt her palms start to sweat. "Oh… no… that can't be true. Chase must be devastated."

Michael turned away. "He would have been."

Zoey froze. "What do you mean… he would have been? You mean he's not?" Her voice grew shrill. "Why… that's nonsense! I mean, how can he not be sad? I'd be… I'd be… so… upset… if my parents…" Her voice was slowing down. Michael didn't say anything. She desperately wished he would.

"Michael?" her voice was soft and questioning. "Michael? Tell me the truth. What happened to Chase? Where is he right now?"

When Michael didn't say anything Zoey started to shake him. "Tell me! I have a right to know. I've been his girlfriend for years and I think I-"

"He's gone," Michael murmured. Tears were running down his face like a waterfall. Zoey stared at him, her head numb. She didn't really hear the words he said. She felt her body start to shake.

"Gone?" she said. She smiled a twisted smile. "Yeah… sure… Gone where? Where would he have gone? He wouldn't have gone home. Not when we're just about to graduate."

"He didn't go home," Michael said. He glanced at Zoey. "You… you know what I mean, Zoey. Don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Me? Make things harder?" Zoey laughed. "I'm not making things harder. You shouldn't be the one talking. You just scared me so much… nice joke, Michael."

"It's not a joke!" Michael was yelling now. He was shaking with anger now. He stood up and grabbed Zoey's shoulders and shook her. "See the light, Zoey! He's gone."

"No…" Zoey giggled lightly. "I just saw him last night. We watched a movie together. Today… oh yeah, he did tell me his parents were coming… said he was going to catch a movie with them today. I wonder what they saw."

"Have you not been listening to me?" Michael asked, his voice shaking. "They're all… they're all…" People were staring at them now. Some wore shocked expressions and other's brows were furrowed as if they were wondering whether the two of them were practicing a scene from a play or not.

"No THEY AREN'T!" Zoey cried, growing angry. "Stop it, Michael! When I tell Chase you've been making stories up then… then…" She suddenly burst into tears and fell on the floor. "Then…. then… then…"

A hand was rested on her shoulder and she looked up, expecting to see Chase smiling at her. Instead she was looking up at Nicole's tear stained face. Her best friend helped her off the ground and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry, Zoey," she said.

Zoey was trembling and shaking her head. "No… no…" she groaned. "He's not dead. No… he's not…" She was crying into Nicole's shoulder, feeling a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling made her want to throw up.

"Zoey…" Nicole said. "Zoey… Zoey… Zoey, are you there?"

Zoey snapped back to reality. She realized she was still on the phone with Nicole. She quickly shook her head, getting rid of the thoughts that were swirling around in her mind. "Hi… sorry… I was just… anyways. What were you saying?"

"Get-together," Nicole reminded her. "Can you make it? You remember where I live, right? Well, duh, I guess you wouldn't. You've never been to my new house, have you? Well I moved out two years after we graduated and-"

"You live pretty far away," Zoey said, interrupting her. "I don't think I'll make it. I don't have a car and I don't want to take the bus so far and…"

"No worries," Nicole said casually. "Dana and Logan live faraway too. Just ask them to give you a ride. They have to stop by where you live to get to where I live, right?"

Zoey sighed. "I don't want to bother them…"

Nicole laughed. "Are you kidding? They're dying to see you. They'll be happy to do you a favour." She sighed a little. "Remember when we went to PCA? We never used to be able to go to each others' houses because we lived so far away. But now we all live just an hour drive away from each other. How convenient is that? I mean, not just two of us, but all of us live in California. Isn't that great? I guess none of us really wanted to leave PCA so we just stayed in the same general area…"

Nicole was babbling. Zoey felt the need to interrupt. "Okay, Nicole, I'll go. But can you phone Dana and Logan for me?"

"Why don't you do it?" Nicole suggested. "They'd be happy to hear from you."

"No, I don't think so," Zoey said meekly. "Please, Nicole? I just feel… really tired right now. I think I'll take a nap." Actually, a nap was the last thing she wanted to do. She had already messed up her daily routine. She didn't want to screw it up even more.

"Okay then," Nicole said a little hesitantly. "So I'll see you tomorrow night at 7 PM. Dana and Logan know the way so you just stand outside your apartment by 6:30 tomorrow! Okay?"

"Sure," Zoey mumbled. "Bye." She quickly hung up before Nicole could say anything else. Her head was spinning as if she had just gone on a roller coaster. She was going to see everyone again. She was going to have to see them and remember the memories… All those memories…

"What did I just do?" Zoey said to herself, horrified. She looked down at the piece of paper she had been writing on. The letter was still there, written in pencil, but now there were tear stains over a few words. Zoey realized she had been crying. She laughed a little to herself and stood up to go wash her face. The letter on the table stayed where it was. On it, in neat printing, it read

_Dear Chase,_

_Hey! What's up? I feel weird again. Of course, feeling weird is natural for me now. I've felt weird every since that day Michael told me you were gone. It's weird… you're the only person I even try to talk to. Even though I know that I'll never be able to send you these letters… I can't help but continue to write them. But I believe you're reading these from above... You are, right? Or am I just waiting valuable paper? Ha, ha… You know that I miss you, right? I mean… life… it's just not the same without you. Where are you when I most need you, Chase Matthews? _

**Okay well, this is the first chapter of the new series I'm writing. How do you like it? It's kind of different from the other stories I wrote which were mostly just happy stories with love, humour, and general stuff like that. This one is a bit more dramatic… Anyways, please review- And tell me if it made sense or not because I'm not sure if it did :S **


	2. Chapter 2

Every Tuesday she ate pancakes for breakfast.

It was seven in the morning and Zoey awoke, feeling groggy and tired. It felt as if she hadn't slept in weeks…months, even. She got out of bed and checked her calendar although she already knew what day it was. Smiling a little to herself, she started to get dressed for her morning run. As she pulled out a t-shirt from her closet a thought came into her head. _Do I want to go on a run this morning? _She didn't… not really. She felt like sleeping in. Putting her shirt back into the closet, she crawled back into bed and closed her eyes. It was warm and cozy underneath her blankets. The pillow her head rested on was fluffy and big, a perfect pillow to use during a pillow fight. She yawned. Just lying there made her feel so tired…

Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she had to do that night. She was going to see everyone again. Her heart started hammering inside her chest. She didn't feel peaceful anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut again in hopes of forgetting… But the thought still lingered in her mind. She finally decided to go to breakfast and eat away her feelings. As she headed to the kitchen, she shivered. It was a cold morning and she was wearing only a tank top and pajama bottoms. Her feet were especially freezing. She went back to her bedroom and opened her sock drawer. As she reached for a pair of pink socks, her hand stopped in mid air. She didn't want to wear socks. She closed the drawer and bent down to grab something from under the bed. She pulled out two purple fuzzy slippers. They were slippers that she had worn every day at PCA when she woke up. It made her feet warm. Slipping them on and feeling grateful that her feet had not grown over the years, Zoey headed for the kitchen for her pancakes.

As she retrieved the maple syrup from one of the many cupboards she had, she started to think about the phone call with Nicole the previous day. That led to thoughts about Chase… dear Chase. She had loved him and he had loved her. They had been a couple for most of their years at school. Everyone said they were the perfect couple… that they would never be split apart. But they were and it pained her to think about it. Tears started to gather in Zoey's eyes. She brushed them away and put down the maple syrup. She didn't feel hungry anymore.

_I'm going to see them all again, _Zoey thought as she went into the small living room and sat down by the phone. Her head felt numb and her hands were shaking. _After so many years I'm going to see them again. _Her heart was beating faster. She shook her head to clear her mind, but it didn't work. Instead she just got a headache. She sighed and looked at the phone. When she did, her throat tightened. Looking at it gave her bad thoughts… terrible thoughts.

The last phone call she had answered was from Dustin, her little brother. He had called her on her cell phone the day of her graduation. She remembered his words clearly and how she had felt. It was raining when he had phoned. She had been sitting on her bed in room 101, realizing that she would never be back in this room again when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Zoey, it's Dustin."

Zoey smiled a little. She loved her little brother and felt as if she had grown farther apart from him since long before. "Hey, Dustin, what's up?"

There was silence on the other end. Zoey waited patiently for him to speak. She was looking around the room, trying to memorize each thing about it. The walls, the ceiling, Dana's messy bed, and Nicole's neat one. Her eyes fell on her pillow and her heart had skipped a beat. She lifted it up and underneath was an old photo of Chase.

"Zoey I just wanted to tell you that…"

Zoey was only half listening to Dustin. Her eyes were transfixed on the picture of Chase. He was smiling and he had scratches on his arms from falling into the rose bush. Zoey smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Zoey, are you there?"

Her attention snapped back to the phone. Dropping the picture, she straightened up and said, "Hi, Dustin. Sorry, I was just… okay, what did you want to tell me?"

Dustin took a deep breath. "It's… dad."

Zoey felt her heart drop. Her father had been sick for the past few weeks, but he was making a good recovery. He had just gone to the hospital the day before for a check up. She had hoped it had gone well. "What about dad?"

"Well… mom came to see us today. She came to PCA to tell us that… well, I saw her and she was crying and I told her to go home and that I'd tell you and that…"

"Dustin," Zoey said her voiced shaking. "What's wrong with dad?"

"He needs surgery, Zoey," Dustin said, his voice small. "And if it's not successful then he… he might… not…" He trailed off and Zoey could tell he was crying. She felt her heart tighten and her breaths grew shallow. She held the cell phone so tightly she was sure it would snap.

"Z-Zoey… what happens if dad…" Dustin's voice cracked. "What happens if he doesn't…?"

"I don't know, Dustin," Zoey said quietly. "I don't know."

It was as if the world had ended for Zoey. Chase had left her and now her father was on the edge of his life. She felt like she had fallen into a hole of misery and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get out.

Since that day, Zoey had avoided phones. She didn't want to hear the news the caller wanted to bring her. She even discarded her cell phone and only kept one in her apartment in case she wanted to phone 911. Nicole's call from the previous day had been the first she had answered in years.

As for her father… he had died a year after the surgery. It broke Zoey's heart when she heard the news from her mother. The day she was told was a gloomy day. Fall had started and leaves were coming loose from branches and twirling in the air before hitting the ground. She had been eating a sandwich when there was a knock on the door.

Zoey froze. She didn't know what to do. There was a knock again and Zoey decided to answer it. She carefully opened the door and came face to face with her mother. It felt like a rock had dropped on to her head. She hadn't seen her mother since she had moved out.

"Zoey," Mrs. Brooks said quietly. "Your father…"

"Mom…" Zoey felt as if she was five years old again. Everything felt large and scary. She knew what her mother was going to say before the words came out of her voice. Suddenly she crumpled. Zoey fell on the ground and started sobbing. Her mother bent down to help her up, but she shook her head and stayed where she was and cried.

The day of his funeral was a sad one. Zoey thought she didn't have any more tears to spare, but when she threw the rose on to her father's casket, she felt tears run down her face again…

A ringing sound brought Zoey back to reality. She looked at the phone which was ringing again. She caught her breath. She wasn't sure if she should answer it. Just because she did once yesterday doesn't mean that she could just answer the telephone whenever she pleased anymore. But then again… what if it was important? What if the caller didn't have bad news? With a shaking hand she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Zoey, it's me, Dana!"

"D-Dana…" Zoey remembered Dana clearly. She had a tough, rough around the edges look. She always slept in and considered her messy bunk to be her palace. "Hi, Dana… um… what brings you to call me?"

"I'm just here to make sure you know the plans for today," Dana said. "You're going to the reunion today at Nicole's house, right?"

This was a perfect opportunity for Zoey to back out. "Actually… I…" She paused. Apart of her really did want to go and see everyone… but apart of her didn't. She sighed. She had already started to remember bad memories. Did she really want to go farther?

"Zoey…" Dana said cautiously. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," Zoey answered. "I'm going tonight. So you and Logan will be picking me up later?" She paused. "Are you guys going to come in your car or his car?"

Dana laughed. "Logan and I have the same car, Zoey. We're married."

"Huh?" Zoey felt shocked. She hadn't heard news of them getting eloped. Why hadn't anyone told her? "When did you…?"

"Five months ago," Dana replied. "We tried to contact you and send you an invitation… but there was never a reply. I think we may have gotten the wrong number and address…" There was a pause. "I wanted you to be my bridesmaid."

"Yeah… well… I have to go," Zoey said dumbly. "You know my address now, right?" She repeated it just in case Dana wasn't absolutely sure.

"So I'll see you tonight," Dana said cheerfully. "Bye!"

They both hung up and Zoey felt a strange feeling of loneliness. She grabbed a pencil and a fresh piece of paper and started to write another letter to the gone Chase. Her mind shut itself down. Right now, it was just her, Chase, and the letter.

_Dear Chase,_

_I miss you. Tonight I'm going to the reunion. I wish you could be there too. And I don't mean just watching from above. I wish you could stand next to me with our arms linked. I wish we could clink our glasses together and then drink happily until the night ends. I wish, I wish, I wish. But none of those wishes will come true, will they?_


	3. Chapter 3

Zoey took a deep breath. She would have to be outside her apartment in less than ten minutes to greet Logan and Dana when they arrived to pick her up. She stood in front of her full length mirror and turned around to try and catch a glimpse of every part of her. She wanted to look perfect, but casual at the same time. This was harder than it sounded. At first she chose an outfit that looked much too sophisticated. Then she picked some clothes that made her looked like she was ten years old. Finally she had settled on a pair of simple blue jeans with a faded pink t-shirt and a white zip up. She picked up her purse and carefully stored her wallet, a pad of paper, and a pen in it. She tied her hair up into a very loose ponytail and pulled on a pair of white socks. When she looked into the mirror again she groaned. Now she looked too much like a teenager. She was an adult now and couldn't afford to go around dressed in a zip up and jeans!

Just as she was about to change, she caught sight of the clock and yelped. It was nearly 6:30 and she had to be outside. Quickly grabbing her jacket and keys, she slipped on her shoes and hurriedly left, locking the door behind her. She took the elevator down to the first floor and quickly rushed out to see a red convertible pulling up. The front window rolled down and a curly haired head popped out.

"Zoey, come on!" Dana said excitedly, waving. Zoey smiled and waved a little before going over to open the door of the backseat and clambering in. As soon as she slammed it shut, Logan, who was driving, pulled the car back on to the road and then… they were off. Zoey felt her pulse start to quicken. She was in Logan and Dana's car. She was going to see her best friend. She was going to… She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that during their reunion, memories of Chase would be mentioned. She sighed lightly and opened her eyes again.

"Zoey, I haven't seen you since graduation," Dana said grinning from ear to ear. Dana's hair was still a chestnut brown with gold highlights. It bounced on her shoulders when she walked. Her eyes were aglow with excitement and her cheeks were a very faint pink. She wore five gold bracelets on one arm and a silver watch on the other. On her ring finger of her right hand she wore a beautiful diamond wedding ring.

"You look great," Zoey said a little absent mindedly. Her eyes were transfixed on the ring. If Chase was still alive, would she be wearing one too? She shook the thought out of her mind. It was much too depressing to think about. Instead, she forced a grin and said in a mock cheerful voice, "So, Logan, how about you? Still bringing in big money?"

Logan grinned and caught a glimpse of Zoey in the rearview mirror. "You know it. I'm a film maker just like my dad was." He chuckled a little. "Logan and Dana Reese- I film, she acts. Is that a couple made in heaven, or what?" He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She laughed and gently swatted him away.

"Eyes on the road, Logan," she said, but her eyes held a dreamy look in them. They sparkled in the sunlight that shone through the car windows. Zoey felt happy for them. They had always argued when they were at PCA, but awhile before graduated, they had gotten together.

"So Dana, you act in movies now?" Zoey asked, trying to bring up a light conversation. She wondered what Chase would be doing if he was still alive? He would probably be a clown in a circus… or an entertainer at kids' birthday parties. She smiled to herself.

"Yep," Dana said cheerfully. "I took tonight off. I'm supposed to be filming my new movie right now, but a movie star needs to relax." She laughed. Zoey noted that her laugh sounded like bells clanging together. Dana had changed since their PCA years. She was more… bright… happy… together.

Logan and Dana chattered for a long time. Zoey started to tune them out. Her thoughts drifted elsewhere. She had changed as well. When she was in her teen years she was always so optimistic and creative. Now she was self confined and quiet. She had dug herself a hole and had stayed in it. Now it was time to come out… but how could she when there was no Chase to greet her at the light?

Suddenly the car jerked to the right as a drunk driver swerved to the wrong side of the road, nearly crashing into several cars. Zoey screamed and grabbed on to the seat in front of her and squeezed her eyes shut. A light flashed before… many lights. Ferris wheel lights. She found herself getting sucked into a picture… a memory.

It was the end of the year carnival. Two years before their graduation. Chase had asked Zoey. She had agreed, but didn't think of it as a date. When she met him in front of the hot dog stand, she was shocked to see that he had bought her a bouquet of roses. They were beautiful, the reddest flowers she had ever seen. They sparkled in the moonlight and water droplets clung to a few petals.

"They're… for you," Chase mumbled.

"Wow… Chase thanks," Zoey said in awe as she took the bouquet of flowers in her hands. When she held them, a thorn scratched her on the arm. She yelped a little in surprise. Chase immediately took the end of his shirt and pressed the cloth down on her arm where drops of blood were starting to form. She stared up at him, shocked.

"Uh… Chase… your shirt…" she said stupidly.

"That's ok, you're more important than my shirt," Chase said. His cheeks suddenly turned pink. He coughed loudly and the two of them stood there for awhile, not saying much. They listened to the light sound of carnival music and watched people pass by, eating cotton candy. Finally Zoey broke the silence.

"Want to go on the roller coaster?"

Chase looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "The roller coaster…? Isn't that too dangerous for a girl? I mean, I don't want you screaming and then throwing up on my jeans or something." He laughed.

"I can handle it if you can," Zoey teased back. She grabbed his arm and, holding the bouquet of roses in one hand, led him to the roller coaster. The one that went upside down and spun around and the one that, after they went on it, made Chase sick to his stomach.

"Told you I could handle it," Zoey said, giggling as Chase leaned over the garbage can and pretended to throw up. She grabbed him by the arm and patted him on the back. "So you can't handle roller coasters- how about the Ferris wheel?"

"Ferris wheels I can handle," Chase said, running with Zoey as they made their way to the large sparkling mechanism that was going around in circles. They only had to wait in line for ten minutes and while they did, Zoey counted the roses in the bouquet. There were thirteen. That was her lucky number.

When they got into their seat, Zoey started to swing it back and forth. Chase yelped and grabbed on to her arm. "Zoey, stop, stop, I'm serious!" he cried as they started to move upward. She stopped and started laughing. He grinned at her.

They were moving up… up… up… The stars shone brightly in the sky. Zoey wanted to grab one and keep it with her for eternity to light up the dark passages of her life. She looked over at Chase. She suddenly felt her heart do a funny little flip. He looked like a perfect photograph. His face was tilted up in just a right way so that the moonlight washed over his face. His eyes sparkled in the silvery light…

His eyes…

They were the most beautiful eyes. Zoey felt as if she could stare at them all day and never, ever get tired of them. It was as if the one thing that would stay forever and the same about Chase would be…

He turned his head, breaking the moment. "What?" he said, sounding worried. "Is there something on my face?" His hand went straight up to his cheek as he felt around for a mustard stain.

"No…" Zoey smiled. Her insides were twisting together and voices seemed to be yelling out to her. Kiss him, kiss him! She took a deep breath and leaned in to give him a kiss. Her eyes closed, she went straight for him when…

BANG!

She let out a little scream as the Ferris wheel came to a sudden halt. Her eyes were still closed. When she opened them she found herself higher than anybody else in the entire carnival. She was stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel with the boy who she realized just then that she loved.

"Zoey," Chase said, laughing. "You screamed! You got scared! You-"

He never got to finish his sentence because just then Zoey leaned in to kiss him. The kiss lasted five seconds. She quickly pulled away, her cheeks pink. "Uh…" She didn't what to say so she turned away from Chase. He was speechless himself. Suddenly a wide grin split out on to his face. "Did you just kiss me?" he asked.

"Maybe," Zoey mumbled.

Chase lightly touched her shoulder. She turned and then he kissed her lightly on the lips. This time it lasted for more than five seconds. They still had their lips locked when the Ferris wheel started moving again. That was the day… that was the day they became the happiest couple at PCA.

"Zoey are you ok?"

Zoey opened her eyes and blinked. Dana was staring at her with large eyes and Logan was muttering under his breath about drunk drivers. They were on the highway, speeding along in the Reese's red convertible. Zoey sighed. Once again she had lost herself in a mere memory.

"I'm ok, Dana. What happened?"

"Drunk driver nearly killed himself," Dana said, looking angry. "Not to mention take the lives of some innocent drivers- such as ourselves." She sighed. "But we're ok. Everyone's ok… No one got hurt." She smiled. "We're almost at Nicole's. I'm going to love seeing her again. Last time I saw her was at the wedding…"

Zoey didn't speak for the rest of the ride. When they finally arrived at Nicole's house, it was nearly 7:30. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Zoey got out of the car after Logan and Dana and took in the sight of Nicole's house.

Unlike Zoey, Nicole didn't live in an apartment. She had a small cottage like house that was painted white. A few stone steps led to a rectangular brown door which was open to reveal a bit of the living room. The roof seemed to be in good order and there was even a chimney in the far corner. A few large square windows were found along the sides and flowers dotted the front yard. Zoey walked up the steps behind Logan and Dana and waited nervously for Nicole to come greet them.

The tune of 'it's a small world after all' came when Logan pressed his finger against the doorbell. Footsteps were heard and Nicole came running out of a doorway, which must have been the kitchen, and came, squealing, to greet them.

"Dana, Logan… I haven't seen you since the wedding! No baby yet? Well… I guess not. It's only been five months!" Nicole's hair was straightened and sat on her shoulders. She was bouncing up and down like crazy and she wore a pink apron that showed a cartoon chef holding a spatula backwards. "And..." She screamed and grabbed Zoey into a tight hug. Zoey took a gasp for breath as she patted Nicole on the back.

"N-nice to see you too," Zoey said, struggling for air.

Nicole finally released her. There were tears in her eyes. "Zoey… I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been? I mean…" She wiped away the wet spots that were forming in her eyes. "I missed you, Zoey!" She pulled her into another hug, a less strangling one this time.

"I missed you too," Zoey said, her voice coming out rather choked. She realized that through all the years she had lived without talking to or seeing Nicole she had felt a big empty chunk inside her stomach. Now that she saw her best friend again, she seemed to be healed… but not completely. She swallowed hard. "I really missed you."

"C'mon, enough girls talk," Logan said huffily. "Let's go in! Who's already here?" He took his shoes off and walked into the kitchen. Zoey could hear yells and greeting and a loud slapping sound as Logan gave someone a high five. She gave Nicole a questioning look. Dana pulled her arm and the girls went into the kitchen.

"Michael Barret," Dana said, grinning. "It's been ages!" She walked with her arms out and Michael gave her a quick hug. He looked the same as he always did except now he wore a golf hat.

"So Michael started taking up golf," Nicole said eagerly, grabbing a wooden spoon and going over to stir a pot of chilly. She sniffed in and started coughing. "Oh… this smells awful!" She smiled sweetly at Dana. "Dana, you were always good at cooking. How about you take over for a little while…?"

Dana sighed and rolled her eyes. She pushed up the black sleeves of her dress and stuck her hand out. "Oh, alright, give me the spoon." Nicole squealed a little and passed Dana the wooden spoon to stir.

"So are we all here?" Zoey asked. Everyone gave her a slight glance. She felt as if she had been tossed into a cage and put in display at the zoo. She took a deep breath. "I mean… is… um…"

"Dustin's coming," Nicole said quickly. She grinned slyly. "He's bringing Katie."

"Oh that girl he had a crush on when he was like twelve?" Logan said as he took a water bottle out of the fridge and took a big drink. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he said, "I can't believe they're still going out."

"Hey," Dana said. "We're still going out and we've been a couple since the PCA years. And Zoey, she…" Her voice trailed off. She suddenly seemed very interested in stirring the chilly. There was an awkward silence in the air.

"Oh, by the way," Nicole said, trying quickly to change the subject. "Tony might be stopping by with his friend from work!" She grinned broadly. Tony was the boy she had been going out with. It was an on and off relationship for them and at the moment, it was on full blast.

"What friend from work?" Michael asked as he took a seat at the kitchen table. Zoey quickly sat down beside him, feeling regret in every part of her body. Why had she come? Her legs felt like jelly. She tried to calm herself down, to steady herself.

"Oh, Tony got a job at the supermarket," Nicole said. "He needed a part time job to earn some money. He's been working there for a couple of months now. A new guy just got a job there two weeks ago and Tony made friends with him." She smiled. "I was hoping we could, you know, all be friends so I invited them both. Is that ok?"

Everyone nodded and said their agreements. Nicole offered a glass of water to Zoey and she accepted. Drinking some fresh cool water helped soothe Zoey's nerves a little. She barely listened to the conversation. Michael was telling everyone about his good golf game. Dana was sharing her stories about filming movies. While Logan was bragging about the new sports car he was going to buy, the doorbell rang.

Nicole bustled out to greet whoever it was. A second later, she came back into the kitchen followed by Dustin and Katie. Zoey felt her heart leap a little when she saw her little brother. He had grown up so much!

"Zoey," Dustin said, grinning. "I missed you!" He rushed over to give her a hug. She squeezed him back, tears rolling down her cheeks as she mumbled 'I missed you too'. After she released Dustin she gave Katie a big hug as well. The two of them were like sisters and soon they would be.

"We're getting married," Katie said eagerly. She showed them the engagement ring that wasn't a sparkling diamond like Dana's was, but was still as, or maybe even more, beautiful.

They sat around the kitchen, talking and recalling good times from PCA. Nobody mentioned Chase, but everyone was thinking about him. Everyone in the room had known him. Zoey didn't talk much. She mostly drank her water and laughed occasionally. Her laughs sounded hollow and it was as if not a drop of emotion came into it.

The doorbell rang again just as the chilly was finished. Nicole jumped up and down and said, "It's Tony!" She took off her apron and hurried to greet him at the front door.

"She doesn't act any different from when she was thirteen, does she?" Michael mused. He took off his golf hat and scratched his head. Logan laughed and shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'some people never change'.

They could hear Nicole's voice at the front door. "Oh… um… hi… you must be Tony's friend… I'm Nicole. You're… um… Jake? Are you sure that's your name? Well… okay, come in… everyone's… eager to see you." There a slight pause and a shuffle of feet. Nicole came back to the kitchen, looking very nervous and confused. Tony walked in to a chorus of greetings. Then followed his friend whose name, they guessed, was Jake.

"Hi J-"

Zoey gasped. She dropped the glass of water she was holding. There, standing in front of her was the mirror reflection of the older Chase. He hadn't changed much, but she knew by looking straight into his eyes that this was her love. This was the boy she had shared her first kiss with. This was her first true love come back.


	4. Chapter 4

"Chase?"

All eyes were transfixed on Zoey and the person who so very much resembled Chase. Zoey's heart was beating so fast she felt as if she would have a heart attack soon. She stood up, pushing her chair back so fast that it fell over. She walked over to where Chase was standing and…

"Sorry," Tony said, looking confused. "But… this isn't Chase. It's Jake. Jake Thomas."

Nicole and Michael exchanged glances. They both gave Zoey a look with their eyebrows up. Zoey felt colour rush into her cheeks. Of course it wasn't Chase. How could it be? Chase was dead. But yet… this Jake fellow looked so much like him that she swore… she swore that she saw it in his eyes that…

"You must be Zoey Brooks," Jake said, interrupting her thoughts. He smiled and stuck his hand out for her to shake. "I've heard about you from Tony who heard about you from Nicole…" He laughed.

Zoey stared at him. His voice was like Chase's except it was a bit deeper. His smile and his laugh made her feel faint just as it did with Chase. How could it not be him? It had to be… it just had to be Chase Matthews. Her first love Chase Matthews.

"Chase," Zoey whispered. "I…"

Jake glanced at Tony and Logan nudged Zoey in the ribs. "Shut it, Zoey. That's not Chase!" Everyone's eyes were on the heart pounding Zoey. She felt as if her world had been turned upside down. She felt tears gather in her eyes and suddenly she broke out into sobs and ran out of the kitchen.

"Zoey… wait!" Nicole called out, quickly running after her.

Gasping for breath, Zoey locked herself in the bathroom. It was a joke, a cruel joke. How could this Jake not be Chase? Everything about him… it was as if Chase's mirror reflection had walked out and introduced himself. Zoey felt hurt and confused. She wanted so badly for him to be Chase that…

Nicole was knocking on the bathroom door. "Zoey… open up, it's me." Her knuckles rapped against the wood of the door. "Zoey… c'mon…"

Zoey sighed and unlocked the door. Nicole walked in, looking sad. She embraced Zoey in a reassuring hug. Zoey felt tears roll down her cheeks again. She started to cry softly, her eyes squeezed shut. Nicole just held her until Zoey had calmed down a little.

"It's Chase," she whispered. "It has to be Chase."

"Zoey," Nicole said, her voice pained. "How can it be Chase when we know that Chase is gone?" She sighed lightly and sat on the edge of the bathtub. "He's not Chase, Zoey. His name is Jake Thomas and he works with Tony at the supermarket. I know he kind of looks like Chase, but…"

"He doesn't kind of look like Chase!" Zoey cried. "He _is_ Chase! I can tell from his eyes. That's him, Nicole. Please… please believe me." She was crying again, her shoulders shaking. Her tear stained face was blotchy and her eyes puffy and red.

"Zoey, I wish I could believe you," Nicole said. "But… how can I?" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zoey, but Chase is gone and… he's not coming back." A single tear fell down her cheek. "So please… put him behind you."

"How can I?" Zoey was yelling now, anger exploding inside her. "How can I put him behind me, Nicole? How? I can never forget him… I've tried. Don't you think I've attempted to go on with my life as if he had never died? I wish I could move on, Nicole. But most of all, I wish he was back. And when I see him I know that… that…"

"Zoey," Nicole whispered. "I'm telling you… we're all telling you. That's not Chase."

"But he looks… he sounds… he smiles… just like him." Zoey's voice had died down into a small strangled whisper. "His eyes, Nicole… I can never forget those eyes. And those… those were his."

"Zoey, we all think that Jake resembles Chase a little bit," Nicole said softly. "But let's face it. It's not Chase and…" She paused. "It never will be Chase."

"Why not…" Zoey whispered. "Why can it never be Chase?"

"You know it can't be, Zoey," Nicole said. Her heart was hurting so badly, seeing her best friend in such a state. Zoey had always been so together, so in control. Now she was a mess, falling apart before her very eyes.

Zoey just shook her head and slumped down against the cupboards where Nicole kept spare toilet paper. Nicole came and sat down beside her. Zoey waved her away, hoping she would leave, but Nicole didn't budge.

"We're best friends, Zoey," she said quietly. "And when you hurt, I hurt. If you're going to stay in the bathroom and be miserable then I am too."

The two of them sat for awhile until there was a knock on the door and Dana came in. The sparkle in her eyes had died down and now a look of concern swept over her face. Catching sight of the teary Zoey and the upset Nicole, Dana crouched down in front of them and said, "I'm sorry."

"For what…?" Nicole asked.

"That Jake isn't Chase," Dana murmured. She took Zoey into a comforting hug. Zoey felt her heart drop even lower than it already had. It had all been a mistake. She had made a mistake. It wasn't Chase. It was Jake. The mere similarities between them didn't mean a thing. The biggest difference between the two of them was that Jake was alive and Chase was not.

"Are you ready to go back?" Nicole asked.

Zoey took a deep breath and nodded. She stood up and, standing at the sink, splashed some water on to her face. With Dana and Nicole on either side of her, Zoey left the bathroom and made her way back to the kitchen where the others were waiting.

"What kept you?" Michael asked. He was smiling, but a look of pain was in his eyes. He too had seen the similarities between Chase and Jake. He had been one step closer to getting his best friend back.

"Girl talk," Nicole said, smiling. She looked over at the oven where she was baking some muffins. "They're almost done… I hope you all like raspberry."

"I don't," Logan said, frowning.

"Well… too bad." Nicole shrugged her shoulders as she slid on a pair of pink plaid oven mitts. Dustin and Katie laughed. They had dismissed the Jake Chase situation very quickly for they did not want to believe something that wasn't true.

"Ms. Brooks, are you alright?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows in a teasing sort of way. Zoey felt a big lump in her throat. She nodded and went to go get a glass of water. Remember, she told herself. It's not Chase. It's not Chase.

After dinner was served and they had all stuffed themselves silly, the whole group of them were seated around the coffee table in Nicole's little living room. They laughed and shared stories, talking about the good times they had had at PCA.

"So were you all friends at that school?" Jake asked, sounding interested.

"Oh yeah," Logan said, nodding. "The whole group is here. Well, except for Chase, but he…" Logan's voice trailed off and he suddenly became very preoccupied with putting sugar into his coffee.

There was a thick heavy silence over the lot of them. "He… what…?" Jake asked, sounding a little hesitant and cautious.

Everyone looked at Zoey to see how she would react. Finally she spoke. "He did," she said, her voice coming out clear and strong. "He and his parents were in a car accident that took their lives." She coughed slightly. "He… was my boyfriend."

Jake stared at Zoey, his eyes hard. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

Zoey smiled a little and then turned her attention back to stirring her coffee. Everyone was silent for awhile. Just as Michael was about to spring into a story about golfing, Zoey spoke again.

"You know, you remind me of him."

Jake lifted his eyes so they were level with Zoey's. "Interesting…"

"Yes. That's why I called you Chase at first." Zoey sighed. "But… he's not going to come back, is he?"

"No… I don't… think so…"

"My dad passed away as well," Zoey said quietly. Her eyes were starting to get misty again. "It was depressing. I find that often people who are close to me either drift away or perish…"

"Who wants corn muffins?" Nicole said a little too loudly, jumping up to her feet. "I mean raspberry muffins. Not corn… raspberry."

"I need to use the rest room," Zoey said absent mindedly. She picked up her purse and disappeared into the washroom with Jake staring after her.

Once inside the bathroom, Zoey put the toilet seat down and took a seat. She opened her purse and pulled out the pad of paper and a pen. Thinking a little, she started to write.

_Dearest Chase,_

_I thought I saw you today. Isn't that funny? Ha, ha… Well, I didn't think it was quite that hilarious when I saw him. His name is Jake and he looks just like you. It saddens me to see that you… my Chase… will never be the one that I lay eyes on again. Throughout the years it always felt like you would come back to me. But now I know for sure that you never will. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all. What's new? Well okay first off, I'd just like to thank everyone who takes time to read and review my story! I bow to all of you :) Second off, I realize that my plot for the story will not work any other way unless I copy out of a drama I watched. So this is a parody of a Korean drama that I saw ages ago. Well, kind of a parody… most parts weren't in the drama. Thirdly Zoey and her friends are now all 25 or 26 since its 8 years after they graduated! **

Zoey buttoned up her coat as Nicole forced her to take a raspberry muffin for the road.

"Visit soon, Zoey," Nicole said, stuffing the muffin into Zoey's hand. "I'll be waiting for your call!" She came in for another hug. Zoey quickly pocketed the muffins so it wouldn't get squished between the two of them.

IT was getting late and most of them were on their way home. Dustin and Katie had already left to another appointment they had.

"C'mon Zoey, are you coming?" Logan said impatiently, jangling his car keys. Dana sighed loudly and mumbled something about Logan always being in a hurry. The two of them started bickering and Michael laughed as he took off his golf cap and readjusted it.

"I have a tight schedule," Logan complained. "As soon as I get home I have lots of work to do." He glanced at his watch. "It's already nearing 12 AM!" He sighed loudly.

"I don't want to take up your time," Zoey said. "I'll just… grab a ride with someone else." She looked over at Michael who shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Hey, don't look at me. I took the bus here," Michael said. "I just live one bus stop away actually." He yawned and took some change out of his pocket. "I guess I have enough for you too, Zoey. You can take the bus too if you want…"

"I'd give you a ride, Zoey, but I have to clean up," Nicole said apologetically. "And Tony's going to stay and help me. I have to give him a ride later since he came in Jake's car… maybe if you stayed a little longer then I can give you a ride when I'm giving Tony one…?"

"I'll give her a ride," Jake offered.

Everyone stared at him. Zoey cleared her throat. "Oh… no, that's ok. I can just… walk." The last thing she wanted to do was sit in a car with someone whom she believed was Chase. It felt like her heart would break every time she saw him. So close… yet so far…

"It's no trouble," Jake said. "Where do you live?"

Zoey mumbled her address and Jake grinned. "Great, that's really close to where I live." He pulled his car keys out of his jacket pocket and started out the door. Zoey had no choice but to follow him.

Dana and Logan got into their convertible and drove off, waving and promising to call. Then they watched Michael walk down to the bus stop and board a bus. Finally Jake got into his small little black car and Zoey got into the front seat after him.

"Call soon, Zoey!" Nicole called after them as Jake pulled the car out of the driveway. Tony waved as well and then they both disappeared inside the house.

It was silent in the car for awhile. Jake coughed and finally turned the radio on. A familiar song played on and Zoey felt her heart ache even more. She turned her head so she was facing out the window. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

It was their song. The song Zoey and Chase had danced to at their first dance as a couple. She remembered it clearly. He had held her close… so close she could smell his cologne that he had obviously borrowed for Logan.

"Chase," she murmured into his shirt.

"Zoey," Chase murmured back.

"I love you," Zoey said, looking up into his glowing face.

"I… love you too," Chase said.

It was the first time they had said those words. Such precious words they were. They had both held on to them as if they were made of gold. They had both treasured those words and Zoey knew that she still did.

"Zoey… are you there?"

Zoey blinked and turned her head. Jake was trying to get her attention.

"Sorry," Zoey apologized. "I was just…" She wiped her tears away. "What were you saying?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to stop by the supermarket tomorrow where I work," Jake said, his eyes glued on to the road. "Since it's near where you live I thought maybe you'd like to stop by and say hi."

Zoey took a deep breath. See Jake again? She wasn't sure she wanted to. "Well… we'll see." She turned her head again to stare out the window and closed her eyes. Tonight had been too much excitement for her to handle. She didn't talk for the rest of the ride. Finally they had reached her apartment and Jake was dropping her off at the front doors.

"Nice to meet you, Zoey Brooks," Jake said, smiling.

"Same here, Jake…" Zoey paused, unsure of his last name.

"Matthews," Jake said. "My name's Jake Matthews."

Zoey froze. "Matthews?"

Jake nodded his head. "Uh… yeah… It's a pretty common last name so…"

Zoey nodded and quickly opened the car door. She stepped out and gave a tight lipped smile to Jake. Slamming the door shut she ran into the apartment and instead of waiting for the elevator, started up the long flight of stairs to the seventh floor. Her heart was beating fast and she felt her mind spin. She couldn't believe the coincidence. Jake Matthews… Chase Matthews.

She pulled her keys out of her pocket and shoved them into the keyhole. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely open the door. When she finally did, she yanked the key out and slammed the door, shivering as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over her body.

Running into the kitchen she dropped her keys on to the table and her jacket on the chair. She opened the fridge and brought out a carton of milk, hoping it would soothe her nerves. She grabbed a glass and started pouring milk, but her hands were shaking so badly that milk splattered all over the counter.

She knocked over the glass and it fell on the floor, shattering. Zoey quickly bent down, feeling her heart swell up with sadness. She picked up a piece of glass and accidentally cut her finger. Gasping with pain, Zoey ran over to grab a paper towel. She wrapped it around her finger and felt tears running down her face.

"Chase," she said, gasping for breath as she did. She slumped down on the ground, feeling utterly defeated. "Chase… Chase…" She sputtered uncontrollably. "Why couldn't it have been you? Why can't you be here right now to stop my blood with your shirt?" She cried harder remembering the day at the carnival and the rose thorn.

"Chase… Chase…"

She fell asleep that night on the kitchen floor with a paper towel pressed against her wounded finger. Her face was tear stained and her heart heavier then a ton of bricks. She was confined in a space where her memories were bouncing off the walls. All those terrible thoughts that she had concealed for eight years were free. They were everywhere she went and the only thing she could think about.

She awoke the next morning to the sound of a car honking. Her eyelids fluttered open and she felt sore and stiff. She had fallen asleep sitting up. Her hand ran up to her face. It was wet with tears. She sighed and slowly got up to her feet, stumbling a little. Sunlight streamed through the open window, casting a bright yellow sun bathed look in the kitchen. Avoiding the glass scattered on the floor, Zoey made her way to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth and having a shower, Zoey sat in front of her full length mirror, blow drying her hair. She felt and looked freshened up. All the events from the night before had worn her out. She sighed as she clicked the hair dryer off. It was insane. No matter what she did, all she could think about was… the past.

Blow drying her hair reminded her too much of Nicole.

_Well on the positive side, _Zoey thought. _I'm never going to see them again. That was just one night. I don't have to think about or see them ever again. Things will go back just to normal. _

But it didn't.

Skipping her run that day, Zoey was in the middle of having breakfast when there was a knock on the door. Dropping her fork, Zoey glanced sideways and back as if expecting to see a spy jump out from behind some plants. She felt as if she should open the door yet something told her that if she wanted her life back to what it was like for eight years she shouldn't.

She got up to go answer the door.

"Zoey," Nicole said, grinning when Zoey opened the door. "Hi! I… thought I'd visit. I hope that's ok." She was bouncing up and down, looking excited. "Can I… come in?"

Zoey felt dumbfounded. She nodded and opened the door wider so Nicole could come in. She stepped in and took off her shoes, surveying the apartment as she did so. She took her coat off and Zoey quickly took it and hung it on the coat rack.

"Nice place, Zoey," Nicole commented. "You know… I've never been to your apartment. Isn't that weird? I mean when we went to PCA together we were roommates and now…" Her voice trailed away. "It's just weird, isn't it?"

"A little, I guess," Zoey said, not really finding it weird at all. "I guess we just grew apart after school." It wasn't really true. Zoey had grown apart, not Nicole.

"Are you going to give me a tour/" Nicole asked cheerfully. Zoey nodded and led Nicole around the apartment, showing her the bedroom, the kitchen, the little living room, the bathroom, and the spare little room she had. Nicole kept nodding her head and remarking how nice the place was.

"So… uh, what brings you here?" Zoey asked finally. She was slightly nervous having Nicole here. It was strange having an old friend come back into her new life. She considered. Did she like her new life? Well… it was ok. Not bad, really. But it was a little lonely. Maybe she could have Nicole over more often? This wasn't too bad… not really…

"Tony broke up with me," Nicole said, dropping the news like a bomb. She suddenly burst into tears and Zoey had no choice but to pull her into a reassuring hug. Patting her on the back, Zoey asked the dread question.

"When did he do that?"

"Last night after everyone left… he wanted to stay behind and help me clean up to… tell me that… that..." Nicole pulled a tissue out of her purse and blew her nose into it. She sighed. "He told me that we weren't meant to be."

"Oh… Nicole, I'm sorry," Zoey said sadly. "I know how much you liked him…"

Nicole nodded her head, her nose red. "I… I can't believe it. I thought we were doing well. Zoey… it's almost getting too late for me to fall in love! Zoey…" She caught her breath. "Then I had to drive him home. It was awful. He offered to take the bus, but I couldn't let him do that."

Zoey smiled/ "You're a kind person, Nicole."

Nicole sighed. "Well… Zoey… I was kind of hoping that…" She took a deep breath. "Well I really can't stay in my house anymore without remembering that Tony broke up with me. And it's a bit lonely there so I thought… maybe I could… move in with you?"

Zoey blinked. Have Nicole as her roommate again? No… definitely not! How could she rid herself of terrible memories when part of her past would be living with her? But then again… hadn't she just been thinking about how lonely it was? Didn't she want Nicole to visit a lot? But there was a difference between visiting and LIVING!

"Zoey…" Nicole said hesitantly. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Zoey paused. "I think…"

Nicole waited with her breath held.

"I think…" Zoey smiled. "That would be a great idea."

Nicole squealed and jumped up and down, pulling Zoey into a tight hug. "You are the BEST!" she said, feeling extremely giddy. "I just have to drive back to my place and get all my stuff and then… wow, we're going to be roommates again, Zoey! Just like PCA times!"

Zoey smiled as Nicole made her way to the front door. "Yeah… just like PCA times."

After Nicole left to drive off to her former home to pick up her things, Zoey went back to the kitchen. She cleaned up the remains of her breakfast and then dusted up the glass that was still sitting on the floor, sparkling in the sunlight. She would be living with Nicole now. The thought made her feel strange and happy at the same time.

Nicole wouldn't be back for another hour or so. Zoey decided to go copy a house key for her since it would be her apartment now as well. Locking the door and taking the elevator down to the first floor, Zoey walked out and felt a rush of air blow against her face. She walked down to the grocery store where they copied keys and when she got there, she realized just who would be there.

She managed to get the key copied without spotting him. Then just as she was leaving she saw him. He was stacking toilet paper in a pyramid like shape. Zoey couldn't take her eyes off him. Chase… no, she couldn't think like that because it wasn't Chase. It never would be Chase. She quickly pushed open the exit door and left.


	6. Chapter 6

What day was it? She couldn't remember. All the days blurred together now into a mix of frenzy and exciting events. Zoey rolled over in her bed, her eyes still closed. She didn't want to wake up. She just wanted to keep on sleeping until… until…

Her eyes opened. She sat up in bed and yawned. The sound of a hair dryer had woken up her peaceful state. Sighing, she slid out of bed and slipped on her slippers. She ran her fingers through her hair. It wasn't greasy yet. She could skip a shower for today. Padding across the hallway, she knocked on the door that used to open up to the guest room.

"Come in!"

Zoey turned the doorknob and walked into Nicole's new room. She surveyed the place, noticing how it had lost the drab guest room look and had obtained a funky style that could only be described as Nicole's sense of beauty. After Nicole had come back with all her things the day before, she and Zoey spent many hours painting the walls of her new room and tacking things up on the walls.

Nicole was sitting on her bed, blow drying her hair. When she saw Zoey, she clicked off the hair dryer and eagerly jumped up on to her feet. "So, Zoey," she said, grinning broadly. "I was thinking today we could do something fun!"

"Like what?" Zoey asked, leaning against the doorway, wondering what she should have for breakfast. Her life didn't have much of a routine anymore and she no longer wished to go on morning jogs.

"Shopping," Nicole said, rushing up to Zoey and grabbing her hands. She started twirling around and jumping up and down. "The whole day we can go shopping!"

Zoey laughed. "Drop those hopes, Nicole. I'm not made of money."

"Don't you have a job?" Nicole asked. "I work at the toy section of the mall. It's hard work picking up after kids who just play with the robots and then live them there on the floor." She sighed exasperatedly.

"Nope," Zoey said shrugging. "I don't have a job."

Nicole's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious!" she cried. "How have you been supporting yourself? How have you been paying for this apartment?"

"I used my college tuition money," Zoey admitted. "Since I didn't go to college and all…" Her voice trailed off. She looked at her nails. "I guess I should get a job soon, huh?"

"Yeah, no duh," Nicole said, crossing her arms. "Okay then, forget shopping. We're going to go job hunting for you today!" She squealed and clapped her hands together. "Go get dressed."

"I haven't even eaten breakfast yet," Zoey said, suddenly feeling exhausted. N

"I'll buy you a muffin at the supermarket or something," Nicole said, pushing Zoey out the door. "Get dressed!"

Zoey sighed. She first went into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face with soap. Then she went back to her bedroom to choose an outfit for the day. As she looked through her closet, a small smile spread across her face. Her life was changing for the better. No more lonely days of eating scrambled eggs and going for runs and passing by fire hydrants. She had a roommate now. She wouldn't feel alone again.

Selecting a pair of blue jeans and a red button up shirt, Zoey knotted her hair in a loose ponytail and tugged on some socks. She opened her bedroom door and crossed the hall to see if Nicole was ready.

"Nicole?" she called, lightly knocking on Nicole's door. "Are you ready?"

"Just a minute," a voice called out. A second later, the door jerked open to reveal a hopping Nicole. She was trying to tug on her socks, but they were inside out. Zoey laughed as Nicole screamed and fell over on to her back.

Once they were outside in the fresh air, Zoey felt a lot better. She felt new born walking down the streets with someone other then her shadow. Nicole was good company. She had a bright personality and clothes to match. She wore a yellow button up with a white tank top underneath and a swishy orange skirt which she said proudly, "I made it myself!"

They stopped at the supermarket to grab some quick breakfast. As Nicole was entering, Zoey had a thought. She quickly grabbed Nicole's arm and pulled her back. Nicole gave her a curious look. "What?"

"Um… doesn't Tony work here?" Zoey asked. "You don't want to run into him do you?"

Nicole glanced at the supermarket doors and then back at Zoey. "You're right. I don't want to run into him." She paused. "But I don't think he's working right now. Yeah… he's not working! Let's go in." She tugged on Zoey's arm and pulled her through the doors.

As Zoey marveled over the fact that Nicole had Tony's working schedule memorized, Nicole was examining a tray of chocolate eggs. She sighed when she saw the price sticker. $9.99 for caramel filled chocolate eggs.

"That's so not worth it!" Nicole cried.

"I can give you a discount," a familiar voice said behind the two.

Zoey and Nicole turned around to see Jake smiling at them. His cheeks were white and dusty with flour and he was holding a box of deodorant. Zoey stared at him. He looked so much like Chase… she scolded herself inwardly. No! Don't think like that, Zoey Brooks…

"Oh, hi, Jake," Nicole said, grinning and looking sideways at Zoey.

"Pretty expensive for the eggs," Jake remarked. "I can give you a discount. Maybe a dollar off or something…"

Nicole looked disappointed. "Only a dollar?" she said.

Jake laughed. "Hey, I need to make money off the job you know."

It looked as if a light bulb had clicked on over Nicole's head. "Hey, Jake, do you think Zoey could get a job here?" she asked eagerly.

Jake looked over at Zoey who glanced downwards to the floor. "Yeah… I can see if I can get her a job here. Yeah… actually that'd be great. I need some extra help in the bakery section." He pointed to his flour dusted cheeks. "I'm a… uh, bit of a klutz."

"Great!" Nicole said, grinning broadly. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. She scribbled a phone number down and gave it to Jake. "There's Zoey's home number. Phone her to tell her the good news."

"Right," Jake said, taking the phone number and shoving it in his apron pocket. "Right, sure. I'll phone you, Zoey." He grinned.

"Sure," Zoey mumbled.

"How much discount can you give us on some muffins?" Nicole asked hopefully.

"Since I work in the bakery area I can give it to you for free," Jake said. Nicole lit up and looked at Jake with pleading eyes. He laughed. "What kind do you want?"

Nicole squealed. "What kind of muffin, Zoey?"

"Uh… blueberry," Zoey said.

"Hey, that's my favourite kind of muffin," Jake said grinning.

Zoey stared at him, her eyes huge. "You like blueberry muffins too?" she whispered. "So did…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't finish her sentence.

"So did who?" Jake asked curiously.

Zoey just smiled and shook her head. "Nobody…"

"Okay well, I have to get back to work," Jake said, smiling. "If you want your muffins then you better go get them now…" He started to walk and Nicole quickly grabbed Zoey's arm to follow.

"What's it like working here?" Nicole asked as they passed by a shelf of stuffed rabbits. A particularly over stuffed bunny fell on to the floor. Zoey bent down to pick it up. Dusting it off, she dropped it back on the shelf and continued along.

"It's ok," Jake said. "Nothing much to brag about really… it's not a millionaire kind of job, but it pays well and the work is… well, not easy, but not rocket science either." He laughed as they reached the bakery. Grabbing a paper bag that contained blueberry muffins, he went to the other side of the counter where the cash register was.

"That'll be 7.50," he said. Nicole raised her eyebrows and he rolled his eyes. "Right… free for the young ladies who like to take away an innocent man's paycheck." He started to pull a wallet out of his pocket when Zoey stopped him.

"I'll pay," she said quickly. She pulled a crumpled ten dollar bill out of her pocket and shoved it into his hands. "Uh… keep the change, ok?" She grabbed the bag of muffins and started to hurry away.

"Zoey," Nicole called after her. "Wait up!" She ran after her friend after quickly waving good bye to Jake. He watched them go and leaned against the counter, sighing heavily. He wasn't sure, but he felt mixed feelings about those girls ever since he first met them yesterday. He felt a bit awkward being around Nicole. Tony had informed him about their break up and it was strange being with a friend's ex. Also Zoey… well, he wasn't sure what it was about her, but it sparked up a feeling that he could have sworn he felt before…

"Jake, clean up on aisle 4," a voice said over the intercom. Jake snapped back to reality. "I repeat, Jake, clean up on aisle 4." He sighed and rushed over to see what the mess was.

Outside, Nicole was hurrying to keep up with Zoey who was walking at a tremendously quick speed. "Zoey, wait… for… me…" she gasped for breath. "You walk so fast! And anyway, why did you pay for the muffins? I thought you weren't made of money…"

Zoey stopped so suddenly that Nicole almost ran into her. She turned around, her blond hair whipping the side of her face. "I never said I was BROKE, Nicole. I can afford a couple of muffins, ok?" She turned and started walking again. Nicole just stood there, feeling shocked. Then she started to follow Zoey.

"I'm sorry," she called after her. "I didn't mean… well, ok, maybe I did mean that you were kind of broke. But the way you told me that you were using your college tuition… well I thought that…"

Zoey stopped and turned again. "Thought that what?"

Nicole shrunk backwards a little. "I thought that maybe you were a bit… I don't know… poor." She took a deep intake of breath as if she was expecting Zoey to slap her across the face.

Zoey felt stunned. "Me… poor…?" Her voice quavered when she spoke. She shook her head quickly and turned around. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she started walking again and this time, even when Nicole called out to her, she didn't turn around.

When they reached the apartment again, Zoey took the stairs instead of the elevator and Nicole followed. By the time they reached the seventh floor, Zoey was confused and fuming at the same time and Nicole was exhausted out from the long flight of stairs.

"Zoey… are you mad?" Nicole said once Zoey had unlocked the door. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way… you know I didn't mean it." She rushed in before Zoey could slam the door in her face. "I… I'll make it up to you." She snapped her fingers. "I know! Let's go to a night club tonight. I'll pay!" She paused. "Or you can pay if you want."

"I don't like night clubs, Nicole," Zoey said thickly.

"It'll be fun," Nicole said eagerly. "We'll invite everyone! Logan and Dana and Michael…" She thought for a second. "Would it be weird if your little brother is at the night club with you?"

Zoey sighed. "A little, yeah," she mumbled.

"And… Quinn," Nicole said, snapping her fingers and grinning. "She couldn't make it to our get together so we can meet her at the night club tonight! How does that sound, Zoey? A couple of drinks, dancing… it'll be fun."

Zoey sighed. She turned to face Nicole. "Fine, we'll go to a night club tonight and drink and dance and do all that stuff that you like, but only on one condition."

"What's that?" Nicole asked.

"You don't blow dry your hair so early in the morning," Zoey said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I think I'm going to start sleeping in sometimes."

Nicole paused for a second. Then she grinned and stuck her hand out. "You've got yourself a deal!"


	7. Chapter 7

Zoey got into Nicole's mini van and took a deep breath. The car smelled like French fries and nail polish mixed together. She wasn't sure why, but she liked the smell. It soothed her. Nicole clambered into the driver's seat and looked over at Zoey with a disapproving frown. She didn't start the car, but instead stared at Zoey until she took notice.

"What?"

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "It's just… we're going to a night club and you're wearing… that!" She took a deep breath as if she was about to say something long and important. "Zoey, we're not going to the library to grab a fairy tale story or anything. We're going for drinks and dancing and look at you!"

Zoey blinked and looked down at her outfit. She was wearing faded jeans and a light blue sweater. Sighing, she got out of the car and ran back into the apartment to get changed quickly. Nicole watched with satisfaction and leaned against the steering wheel, drumming her fingers against it. Her outfit consisted of a pink skirt and a blue off the shoulder top that she had always treasured. Due to the cold weather, she also had a white cotton sleeved jacket. Instead of wearing plain old running shoes, she wore heels with straps that shimmered in bright lights.

Zoey came back a minute or two later, wearing a white tank top that reached slightly below her stomach and a black skirt that swished slightly beneath her knees. She sighed and got back into the car with her arms crossed. She glanced over at Nicole who was surveying her closely.

"So? Does this meet up to Nicole standards?"

Nicole nodded. "Well better than before, I must say. You sure change fast." She started the engine and pulled the car out of the apartment underground parking lot. A beam of sunlight washed over Zoey as they headed out to the night club. She opened the window to let some wind in to the stuffy car. Cold air blew into her face and made her hair fly backwards. Nicole stopped at a red light and brought out her cell phone. Zoey stared at it with jealously. She suddenly wished that she hadn't disposed of her phone. Deciding that she would buy a new one with her first paycheck when she got a job, Zoey turned back to the window, but kept her ears open to Nicole's conversation on the phone.

"Hi, is this Quinn Pensky?" She paused. "Yeah, this is Nicole! Hey, how are you? I was just wondering if you were interested in coming to the night club tonight." There was a murmur on the other line. "Yeah, ok, I know the sun's still up, but then we'll get there early!" Another murmur and then, "Okay, I'll see you there!" Nicole hung up as the traffic lights changed to green.

"So who's coming?" Zoey asked, rolling the window back up. The sun was just starting to go down and it was getting chillier by the second. She rubbed her arms and remembered that she hadn't brought a jacket. She immediately regretted it.

"Um… besides me and you, Logan, Dana, Quinn, Michael…" Nicole's voice trailed off. "And… um… not Dustin or Katie… you said it'd be a bit awkward with them there." She paused. "But… I didn't want to hurt their feelings by not inviting them so I phoned them anyway. They were busy tonight though… going to dinner with some other friends I think."

"Oh, okay," Zoey said, nodding her head.

"Oh yeah, and Jake might come too," Nicole said quickly.

Zoey blinked and stared hard at Nicole who was concentrating on the road. Jake? She had already seen enough of Jake for one day… did she have to see him during the night time too? What was Nicole thinking?

"Nicole," Zoey said, frowning. "Why?"

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked nervously, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel. They were almost at the nearest night club in town; a flashy place with a disco ball and lots of people between the ages of eighteen and thirty.

"You know it's kind of uncomfortable around him," Zoey said, feeling colour rush up to her cheeks. "So why did you invite him?"

"Oh, Zoey," Nicole said, taking her eyes off the road for a second to stare at her friend with pleading eyes. "He's not… Chase. You have to live with that. He's just a guy that we can be friends with and I thought it was a nice gesture to invite him. He is trying to get you a job, remember?"

Zoey turned away. "I know he's not Chase, but he reminds me so much of him that it's painful." She took a deep breath. She found herself doing this a lot these days. "It's not that I don't like Jake. It's just that facing him is hard sometimes…"

"Zoey," Nicole said sadly. "I'd give you a hug right now, but I'm driving." They had just pulled into the parking lot of the night club. Zoey spotted Logan and Dana's convertible. The two of them were leaning against the car, waiting for everyone to arrive. Nicole parked her mini van beside their flashy red car and turned the engine off. She opened the door and scrambled out. Zoey did the same.

"I thought you'd never come!" Logan said, sounding exasperated.

"You guys look great," Dana complimented. She herself was wearing gold hoop earrings and a casual black dress that reached up to her knees with a gold belt strapped around her waist. She looked incredibly classy and ready to dance.

"So do you," Nicole said, grinning.

A horn honked and the four of them turned to see a golf cart wheeling into the parking lot. Inside sat Michael and Quinn. A set of golf clubs were stored in the back and Quinn was standing up in the cart, waving like mad.

"Michael," Zoey gasped. "Where did you get that thing? I didn't know they let you take it out of the golf course!" Everyone was shocked at the arrival of Michael and Quinn. He just grinned as he parked the golf cart next to Nicole's mini van.

"He bought one himself because he liked it so much," Quinn said, grinning as she clambered out of the front seat. "He uses it instead of a car. You should have seen the stares we got on the road!"

"We're just lucky there were no police cars," Michael said. Instead of his usual golf outfit, he was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a simple white t-shirt with black designs scribbled over the front.

"Are driving golf carts on the road illegal?" Nicole asked curiously.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know it might be…."

"Well, if we're all here, let's go in," Logan said eagerly. He wore a black button up t-shirt and dark jeans that dragged on the ground. Dana clicked her tongue when she saw him stumble over his long pants.

"Wait, Jake's not here yet," Nicole said, quickly stopping everyone from entering the night club. Music was booming so loudly that they could hear it outside.

"You invited Jake?" Logan said, his mouth dropping open. He exchanged glanced with Michael who looked equally worried. They both then turned their gaze on to Zoey who quickly looked down to the ground.

"Um, who's Jake?" Quinn asked. Her brown hair still had braids of pink and purple and green in them and her glasses were still perched on her nose. She wore a purple shirt with long sleeves and a mint green coloured skirt that stopped right at her knees.

Dana pulled Quinn over and whispered in her ear. "He's Tony's friend and he looks exactly like Chase." Quinn's mouth dropped open and her eyes fell on Zoey as well.

"I'm ok with it, really," Zoey mumbled.

"Um…" Logan glanced around a little nervously. "Let's not be tense. C'mon, let's just go in and wait for the dude." He grinned and put his arm around Dana. As usual, he was dressed in a first class outfit with stonewashed jeans and a striped shirt that was open at the collar.

Michael sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well… would he be able to find us in there? I mean… it's pretty dark and loud. Maybe we should just go to a gold course and have a few games." He pretended to be hitting a golf ball with his invisible golf club.

"You guys can go in, I'll wait for him," Nicole said, obviously disliking the idea of waiting outside by herself. She sighed a little for effect. "Don't worry about me, just go in and start having fun. Grab a table and start ordering some drinks. I'll be in with Jake soon…"

Zoey sighed lightly. "Nicole, you go in. I'll wait for Jake." When everyone gave her a shocked look she said quickly, "I seriously don't mind. It's my way of showing you that I can get along with him." She took a deep breath. "Besides I need some fresh air before going in there." She motioned to the night club.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked eagerly. "I mean… one of us can stay out here with you or something." She was jumping up and down, hoping that they could go in soon. It was getting chilly and she rubbed her arms to keep warm.

"No, seriously, I'll stay out here," Zoey said. The others mumbled their hesitant agreements and started inside. Before they reached the entrance, Zoey thought of something and quickly called out to them. They turned. "Dana and Logan… aren't you guys supposed to be working?" she said, grinning.

Logan smiled and kissed Dana on the cheek. "As the director, I can give people a night off." He sighed, sounding unusually comfortable. "That's the plus side of being a rich famous director like I am." They laughed and headed into the night club.

Zoey waited outside, minutes ticking by. It was getting cold and she remembered she didn't have a jacket. She jumped up and down like Quinn had. Jus when she was starting to get restless, she recognized Jake's car pulling in.

He parked and clambered out, looking frazzled. Looking around and spotting Zoey, he grinned and ran toward her, feeling out of breath. She smiled at him, noting how much he looked like Chase when he was running and panting. She thought for a moment. Surely it would be alright if she just… pretended he was Chase? Just for tonight?

"Hey," she said, grinning cheerfully. "What kept you?"

"I took a nap and slept over time," he said, tapping his watch lightly with his finger. "Then traffic was the absolute worst." He paused. "Where's everyone else?" He looked around as if expecting them to jump out from behind cars.

"They're inside, waiting for us," Zoey said. She grabbed Jake's arm and pulled him toward the entrance. "C'mon, let's go. They probably think we ran away or something." Laughing she started to run and he followed.

They found the rest of the group seated at a dimly lit table with beers already ordered and scattered on the table. They greeted Jake and he was introduced to Quinn who said a quick salutation. Zoey and Jake both took a seat at the end. Zoey suddenly felt compelled to do something wild that night. She grabbed a beer bottle and started to chug it down.

Everyone stared at her as the beer slowly disappeared. Once she finished and let the bottle clatter back on to the table, Michael let out a single word. "Whoa."

"Zoey, are you ok?" Nicole asked nervously as Zoey reached over to the table to grab a handful of peanuts from a little bowl. "You're acting a little… I don't know, funny." She looked over at Jake as if expecting an answer for him.

"Well, we're at a night club," Logan said, scoffing a bit. "We're here to be wild." He grabbed Dana's hand. "C'mon, let's go dance." He led her on to the dance floor which was a glow with bright neon lights. Michael and Quinn followed them and started dancing in a strange spaghetti type way.

Nicole turned to Zoey and Jake who were sharing a beer. She smiled. At least they were getting along. She suddenly felt quite alone. She sighed and reached for some peanuts when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up into Tony's apologetic face.

"Jake told me you'd be here today," Tony said. "And I just came to tell you that I…" He paused. "That I'm sorry and hope we can get back together." He blushed. "I mean, I know that I only just broke up with you a day or so ago, but I really… it's just… not the same without you."

Nicole's mouth dropped open. She dropped the peanut she was holding. "Well… I…" She coughed. "I don't know, Tony. I mean, you broke up with me and now you expect me to take you back?" She stood up and crossed her arms. "I'll reconsider."

"Then… do you want to dance?" Tony asked hesitantly.

Nicole thought for a moment. She glanced over at Zoey and Jake. "Yeah," she said, turning back to Tony. "Let's dance." The two of them went to the dance floor and started dancing. Jake and Zoey were left at the table with the beer and peanuts.

Zoey hiccupped as she drank some more beer. "You know, Jake," she said, her voice slightly slurred. "You remind me so much of Chase that…" She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. "You remind me so much of Chase that it hurts."

Jake looked at her. "Tell me about him."

Zoey giggled. "He was one in a million, Jake. Do you know what it's like to have someone and then… poof. They're gone." She swung her arm around so fast that beer splattered on to her clothes. "He was The One."

"The car accident," Jake said quietly.

Zoey nodded her head. She took another swig of beer and then clattered it down on the table. She pointed at Jake and said, "You know what? I don't know ANYTHING about you! Tell me about yourself." She rested her chin on her hand as she reached for another bottle of beer.

"Well… I lived with my aunt and uncle for a few years after my parents died," Jake said. He looked down at his lap. "They… uh… died in a car accident too." He looked at Zoey. "I really don't remember my childhood. My aunt said that it's better off if I just started fresh and didn't remember the past." He frowned. "I don't know how I could just forget so much of my life though."

Zoey nodded her head, only half listening. She was drunk and she couldn't concentrate on anything. Bright lights flashed in their faces and loud music pounded in her ears. "C'mon," she said. "Let's dance."


	8. Chapter 8

A slow song was playing and Dana swayed to the music with her arms wrapped around Logan. She felt happy… happier than she had in a long time. Due to the movie shoot, she had lost a lot of sleep and energy. She needed tonight to be her night of relaxation. She closed her eyes and sighed in a comforted sort of way. It would just be a fun, peaceful, no celebrity type night with her friends. That was what she wanted.

But it wasn't what she got.

"Isn't that Dana Cruz dancing with her husband, Logan Reese?" A girl, age nineteen with blond hair tied in an elaborate bun, pointed the couple out. Her friends squinted and nodded their heads eagerly, gaping at the two of them slow dancing on the bright, flashing dance floor.

"Oh my God, I read about them inmy magazine!"

"Let's go ask for their autograph!"

The girls got out of their seats and ran on to the dance floor, surrounding Logan and Dana, all talking at once. Dana felt a pen poke her in the arm and she turned to see a girl demanding for her signature. She felt her heart drop. She didn't like being surrounded at all. It was one of the things she hated about being a famous actress.

"Whoa, girls, calm down," Logan said, looking overwhelmed.

More people gathered around them and soon they were swallowed up in people waving pens and papers. The doors of the night club burst open and several people with cameras came running in. Paparazzi had found them.

Michael and Quinn, who were at the bar getting a drink, spotted the mob. Right in the middle of it they saw Logan and Dana trying desperately to get out safely. Michael dropped his drink and ran to save them with Quinn at his heels. They slid into the huge frenzy of crazy fans and tried to reach their friends.

"Logan!" Dana cried as a few people pushed her away to get to the famous director. "Logan, where are you?" She shoved a few pens and papers away from her face as she tried to get to her husband who was distantly calling her name.

"Dana!" Quinn was screaming into the crowd. "Dana, where are-"

Snap, snap, flash! The photographers were going mad taking pictures of the famous couple covering their eyes. Michael shoved one out of the way and spotted Logan. He managed to make his way over to him with only a few scratches and a lost button on his shirt. He gasped for breath as he clung on to Logan's arm.

"Fans are wild," he said.

"I know," Logan mumbled. "C'mon, let's go get Dana and get out of here!" He looked through the crowd, searching for his wife. Instead he saw Quinn ambling towards him. She looked as if she had been thrown into a herd of angry zebras. Her glasses were askew and she was stumbling as she walked. Michael managed to reach over and grab his arm. The three of them now stood in the center of the crowd without Dana, being bombarded with Logan's insane fans.

Nicole and Tony, who had just spotted what was going on, ran over to the huge mob. Pushing their way through people, they managed to grab on to Dana and run out. Right behind them, Logan, Michael, and Quinn had escaped from the clingy fans. The six of them hurtled toward the table where Zoey and Jake sat.

"What school did you go to?" Zoey asked, her eyes drooping. They had stood up to go dance, but Zoey was so drunk that she had just slumped back down. She had grabbed another beer bottle and was attempting to hold it up properly.

"I don't remember," Jake said, shrugging. "My aunt and uncle said I went to some kind of weird school, but it shut down." He sighed and chewed some peanuts. "I never really did officially graduate."

Zoey spat out some beer and it landed on her skirt. "Oh that tasted weird." She made a face and giggled. "So Jake, where do you live now?"

"I moved out of my aunt and uncle's place awhile ago," Jake said, getting concerned for Zoey's well being. "I live in an apartment. It's close by yours actually. Maybe you could come visit sometime…"

Zoey nodded. "Right… sure…" She looked hard at Jake's face. "How exactly did your parents die?" The question had come out of no where. She was drunk and looked about ready to throw up. "I mean… car accident, right? So what? Was it a really bad one or…"

Jake turned away. "I don't know. I wasn't there."

"If you weren't there, where were you?" Zoey said, raising her eyebrows.

Jake paused. He wasn't sure where he was. He wasn't sure about anything. His aunt had always said he had short term memory, but surely it couldn't be so bad that he couldn't remember what he was doing the day his parents died…

"Jake!" Dana yelled. "Zoey!"

Jake looked and saw Logan, Dana, Nicole, Tony, Quinn, and Michael running toward them with a herd of people following. Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He threw some money on to their table to cover for the drinks.

"Let's go!" Nicole screamed.

"Let's go where?" Jake asked, sounding confused.

Nicole quickly explained in one breath. "Crazy fans attacking- we got to get out of here!" She grabbed Zoey's arm and pulled, but she wouldn't move. Nicole thrust a panic stricken look at Dana who grabbed Zoey's other arm.

"You're drunk!" Dana cried, anger making her face red.

"Dana," Zoey said, grinning stupidly. "You've got curly hair." She reached over and pulled one of Dana's curls so it bounced wildly around. Dana was furious by now. She reached over and slapped Zoey in the face.

"Hey, don't hit her," Jake said protectively.

"What are you, her boyfriend?" Logan yelled. He grabbed Zoey and pulled her up to her feet. He stared her straight in the eye and said, "We're not going to be mobbed by paparazzi and crazy fans just because YOU'RE drunk."

Zoey stumbled and sighed. "Nicole, turn the lights off. I'm sleepy."

"Zoey," Nicole said, sounding scared. "What are you talking about?"

Cameras were flashing again. Fans had surrounded them. Dana and Logan ran and Michael and Quinn followed. They could hear the convertible engine start and the golf cart rolling away. Nicole glanced helplessly at Zoey before tugging Tony out of the night club.

Paparazzi had swarmed Zoey and Jake now. Friends of celebrities were almost as good as the actual celebrity. Jake frantically looked around for help, but seeing none, he quickly hoisted Zoey on to his back so he was piggy backing her and ran out of the night club. He opened the front door and put Zoey in and then got into the driver's seat and drove away quickly.

"What's going on…?" Zoey mumbled.

Jake glanced at her. Her eyelids were fluttering. "Zoey, you're drunk," he whispered. He turned away from her so he couldn't see her red face. He was driving quickly to ensure that she would not throw up in his car any time soon. When they reached the apartment, Jake parked the car in front of the building and got out of the automobile. He walked around and opened Zoey's door and hauled her out, piggy backing her once again. Locking the car doors, he went into the apartment and headed for the elevator.

Once on the seventh floor, Jake set Zoey down on the ground where she weakly handed him the key. He opened the door to her room and carried her in. He was starting to get very tired. Dropping Zoey on a nearby couch, he fell on to the ground, exhausted.

"Thanks, Jake," Zoey said quietly. "But I could've walked myself you know…" She hiccupped and giggled a little. Then she groaned and slapped a hand over her mouth. "Bathroom," she whispered. Jake sighed and had to carry her all the way to the bathroom. As she leaned over the toilet and threw up, Jake wandered into a nearby bedroom.

It was Zoey's room. Everything looked neat and orderly. Jake looked around and sighed. He started to walk out of her room when he saw a box on top of her dresser drawer with the lid closed. Curiosity got the better of him. He started towards it. Something told him not to look in it. It was personal property after all. He tried to look away, but it was as if the box was calling to him. Sighing, he grabbed it in one swift motion and opened the lid.

The box was stuffed with envelopes. He frowned and picked one up, reading the address to it. It was written to Chase. It was then that he knew that he couldn't read it. These were personal to Zoey. He turned to put it back in its place when he accidentally dropped the box, sending letters everywhere.

Groaning, he paused and listened. He could still hear Zoey throwing up into the toilet. Quickly he bent down to pick up all the stray letters when one caught his eye. It had a huge number one written on the envelope and it looked old. He picked it up. It must have been the very first letter she had written to him. Glancing around as if he expected Zoey to barge in on him, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Chase_

_Um, I don't really know what to say…ha, ha, yea… I know, weird, huh? Well, I guess first off I have to say that I really miss you and I wish you were right here and… _

Jake couldn't make out the next words because of the tear blots.

…_isn't the same without you. Come back to me, please? I wish you and your parents never died. Annie and Thomas Matthews were great- they were like second parents to me too. And who knows… they could've been…_

Jake froze. Annie and Thomas Matthews were the name of his parents? He clenched the letter in his eyes, unable to take his eyes off the words. Annie and Thomas Matthews… he wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, but those were the names of _his _dead parents.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello?"

The front door creaked open and Nicole poked her head in. She pocketed her key and entered the apartment room, closing the door behind her. She was out of breath and her flyaway hair was sticking up all over the place. She took her shoes and jacket off and left them on the floor for the moment. Flicking on the lights, she looked around, hoping to see Zoey asleep on the couch or something.

"Hello?" Nicole called out again. She went to the kitchen, expecting to see Zoey eating a midnight snack or drinking a glass of milk. The kitchen was empty. Nicole frowned and moved along, heading for Zoey's bedroom. The door was shut and Nicole knocked three times before opening it herself.

Zoey was tucked into her bed with the blankets pulled right up to her chin. She was fast asleep, snoring gently. Nicole smiled, feeling relieved. She closed the door and headed for the bathroom to clean up and then go to bed. She leaned against the sink, staring into the mirror and gasping at what she saw. Her face was blotchy and red and her eye was twitching. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she grabbed her toothbrush and turned the sink on.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Nicole went to her bedroom and changed into her cotton pajamas. She crawled into bed and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the thoughts that kept pestering her. She felt her heart start to thump harder when she thought about it. She shouldn't have done that. She should have come home straight away. She should have waited for Zoey. But she didn't and now she was in trouble.

Nicole tossed and turned for a long time before she finally fell asleep. She started dreaming about PCA. An image of the school came up. In front of the school, on his bike, was Chase. Zoey was sitting on a bench, doing her homework, while Chase rode around in circles, wanting her to accompany him to the arcade.

"No, Chase, I have homework," Zoey said, burying her nose in the book. "We'll go to the arcade after I finish." She scribbled something down in her notebook with her pencil. Chase looked at her and smiled. His helmet was sliding off slightly. He readjusted it and rode his bike over to where Zoey was sitting.

"Can I help you?" he asked. "Then we can go to the arcade faster."

Zoey rolled her eyes and laughed. She closed her notebook and shoved it in her bag. She zipped her pencil case open and stuffed her pencils inside of it. Looking up at Chase she said, "Fine. Let's go to the arcade. I can finish my homework later." She lifted her bag up and slung it over her shoulder. Chase grinned and the two of them got on his bike and rode to the arcade.

Nicole turned in her sleep. Her dream continued.

This time the setting was different. It was on the rooftop of a huge apartment building. Zoey was standing there, wearing a wool jacket. The wind was whipping at her face and her hair was flying backwards. With each deep breath, she took one step forward. She was walking very slowly toward the edge of the roof.

"Chase," she whispered. "I'll be with you now."

She jumped off the roof and went hurtling downwards. She was falling, falling, falling towards the speeding cars underneath. Just as she hit her death, someone came running on to the roof. It was Chase and he looked worried and frustrated. He looked around and went to the edge and looked over. That's when he saw her. A crowd had gathered around her body. Blood was running down the road like a river. He gasped and stumbled backwards. No… it couldn't be… She was dead.

Nicole screamed. Then she screamed again. She started to wave her arms and legs around. The door to her bedroom opened and Zoey came running in. She sat down beside Nicole's bed and grabbed her friend's hand. Nicole kept screaming and tossing and turning. Zoey felt scared watching her.

"Nicole!" she cried. "Nicole, wake up!"

Zoey grabbed Nicole's shoulders and started shaking her. Nicole stopped screaming and her eyelids fluttered open. When she saw Zoey she suddenly burst into tears. She sat up in her bed and grabbed her friend into a hug. She kept crying and Zoey patted her back reassuringly. Nicole released her and wiped away her tears.

"Nicole, are you ok?" Zoey asked. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Nicole shuddered and rubbed her arms as if she was cold. "What… what time is it?" she asked, her voice quavering. She looked around her room. She had forgotten to close the curtains last night so sunshine was streaming through, making the room bright and sunny.

"It's 10 in the morning," Zoey said. "I just woke up when I heard you screaming." She rubbed her head and groaned. "I feel awful. What happened last night?" She looked at Nicole with concern. "And are you feeling ok? Why were you screaming?"

The events from the previous night came back to Nicole in a sudden rush. It hurt her head to think about everything. It felt as if a giant boulder had fallen on her stomach. She shook her head and grabbed Zoey's arm. "Let's get breakfast."

After they had both washed up and gotten dressed, they went to the kitchen and sat at the table. Zoey had a glass of orange juice and some toast and Nicole satisfied herself with a bowl of cereal. As she twirled her spoon around the milk, she wondered how she should break the news to Zoey. Should she be casual? No, this wasn't a very casual matter. Did she have to tell her at all? Of course! They were best friends after all.

"Nicole?" Zoey asked as she took a bite of toast. "Will you please tell me what happened last night? I have such a headache. All I remember is that we went to the night club and then next thing I know I wake up to hear you screaming." She frowned.

Nicole took a deep breath. She would have to start at the beginning. She explained to Zoey about the paparazzi swarming Logan and Dana and how Michael and Quinn had attempted to rescue them. Then she explained how Zoey had been too drunk to do anything so everyone but Jake had left her.

"You left me with Jake?" Zoey asked, sounding shocked and hurt.

"Um, yes," Nicole said, looking down into her cereal. She spooned some up into her mouth and then lifted her head again to face Zoey. "Anyway… Logan and Dana got into their car and left and Michael and Quinn got into Michael's golf cart and left…" She sighed. "It was all pretty crazy."

"What about you?" Zoey asked. "You came back for me, right?"

"Um, no," Nicole said, looking down into her cereal again. "You see… Tony was there too. I don't know if you remember because you were drinking pretty heavily. Anyway, Tony came by bus so I gave him a ride. When I dropped him off at his place he invited me in for awhile and I did and…" Her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. "One thing led to another."

Zoey dropped her toast. "Excuse me?" she said, staring at the cereal interested Nicole. "What does that mean exactly?" She leaned back and crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on her nervous roommate.

Nicole glanced up finally. "Well… to put it simply…" She took a deep breath. "Zoey, I… I think I might be pregnant!" She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as if she expected Zoey to go insane and explode.

There was silence. Nicole opened one eye and then the other. Zoey was sitting across from her with her mouth wide open. Nicole hesitantly leaned over the table to poke her in the arm. "Zoey… Are you ok?"

"Oh…" Zoey closed her eyes. "My…"

"It's not that bad," Nicole said quickly. "I mean, I didn't even take the test yet so I don't even know for sure and I…" She stopped. "You're mad, aren't you?" She shrunk down in her seat so it looked as if she was five years old.

"Mad?" Zoey said, opening her eyes. "No, not mad. Furious is more like it! Nicole that was a totally irresponsible thing you did! I can't believe you! Haven't you ever heard of protection? And how could you just leave me with Jake? Why would you do that?"

"Wait, hold on," Nicole said, holding her hands out. "Are you… worrying about me?"

Zoey stopped her ramble. She stared at Nicole and frowned. "Well, obviously! You're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt or anything. You should be married before you have a kid don't you think?"

"Well some people have a child before they get married," Nicole pointed out. "And Zoey- you're worrying about me!" She squealed and jumped out of her chair. "You've broken out of your shell! All those years of not calling and avoiding your friends and now you're worrying about me!" She put a hand to her heart. "I'm so proud."

A smile started to break out on Zoey's face. "Yeah… I have broken out my shell, haven't I? I am worrying about you, aren't I?" She giggled and jumped up to hug Nicole. They were both laughing and grinning and feeling happier than they had in a long time. When Zoey released her, her serious face was back on.

"But Nicole, seriously, you have to go get the test today," Zoey said.

"I will," Nicole promised. They both sat back down to finish their breakfast when Nicole brought up the unanswered question. "How did you get home, Zoey?"

Zoey paused. "I don't know… but I guess if I was left with Jake then he drove me home." She felt her cheeks turn pink. "I guess I should go thank him today." She sighed as she polished off her toast. "Let's go to the supermarket, Nicole. You can buy what you need and if he's working, I'll say thanks."

Nicole nodded her head. After they cleared up the table, they headed for the supermarket. It was a sunny day and Zoey enjoyed walking along with Nicole, sunshine heating up their arms and legs. When they entered the market, a cool rush of air conditioning blew into their face. The two of them went their separate ways, Nicole to buy what she needed and Zoey to go find Jake.

Zoey paused at a rack of paperback books. She picked one up and turned it over in her hands. It was entitled _Moving on and Finding Truth. _Interested, Zoey flipped to a random page. She started to read. She was so mesmerized by the words that she didn't see Jake sneaking up behind her. When he hit her lightly on the shoulder, she yelped and dropped the book. Jake laughed and picked it up off the floor. He read the title and frowned.

"Interesting choice of reading," he remarked, handing it back to Zoey.

"Oh… right," Zoey said, looking down at her shoes. They were worn out and scuffed. She really needed to get a new pair. "I just wanted to tell you… um… I wanted to say thanks for you know… yesterday and…"

"Oh, taking you home and cleaning up the toilet for you?" Jake smiled and crossed his arms across his chest. "No problem. I don't mind looking after fully grown woman. In fact, it's one of my hobbies."

Zoey gaped at him. "Cleaning up the toilet?"

"You don't think I'd just leave you ankle deep in vomit, do you?" Jake asked, looking surprised. He laughed. "Don't worry about it. And it wasn't really ankle deep- you just… uh, missed the toilet sometimes is all."

Zoey felt her cheeks start to burn. She pressed her hands against them to cool them down. "Oh… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… well thanks… a lot. I mean… I could've done it, but I really think that… uh… okay… bye."

She started to turn away when Jake grabbed her arm. She looked into his face and saw that he suddenly looked serious. She felt her heart start to melt. Chase always looked like that when he was serious. His eyes flashed in a way that could make Zoey's heart thump ten times louder.

"Zoey…" he said his voice quiet. "I was just wondering about something…"

"Huh?" Zoey seemed to be hypnotized by his eyes.

Jake paused and then shook his head, breaking the trance. "Nothing, forget it. Never mind… I should… uh, get back to work." They both stood there awkwardly. "I guess I'll see you around…?"

"Oh… yeah," Zoey said, nodding her head. "Definitely…"

They both started to walk away when Jake turned and called after Zoey. "Hey… do you… uh, want to have dinner tonight or something?" he asked hesitantly. Zoey turned around to stare at him. Her eyes were large and her mouth was hanging open slightly. She blinked and stared and then nodded her head.

"Great," Jake said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll pick you up at 6, let's say?" Zoey nodded again and he smiled and walked away. Zoey stood rooted to the spot. Had he just asked her out on a date? No… it was just a friendly dinner between two possible friends. She supposed she should pay since he had already done so much for her.

She bought two ice cream cones and waited for Nicole at the main entrance. She started eating her ice cream which was vanilla flavoured and glanced at her watch. When Nicole finally came, her face was white and pale.

"Zoey," Nicole said quietly. "I'm…"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Zoey gasped and dropped her ice cream.


	10. Chapter 10

Jake had to ride his bike to the hospital. His car was out of gas and he didn't have time to go buy some. He had just gotten off work a half hour ago. It was nearing 5:30 now and he had to get to the hospital and then go pick Zoey up for their dinner. He hoped she wouldn't mind riding his bike. He also hoped that he had enough money for two full meals. He pedaled hard, the wind hitting his face. His helmet was strapped under his chin so if he fell he wouldn't crack his head open and bleed all over the sidewalk.

He reached the hospital and parked his bike in front of it. He locked it to a nearby pole and, leaving his helmet on, he went inside the large building to meet his fate. This was the hospital, his aunt had told him, where his parents were sent right after their car crash. He was hoping the nurses would have some sort of file on Annie and Thomas Matthews.

He was looking around the large main entrance, hoping for some clue on where to go next. Several nurses passed him before one stopped to ask what he needed. He informed them of his parents and how he would like to see their files if they had any. The nurse asked him who he was and he told her. She tapped the clipboard she was holding with a pencil and made a clicking sound with her tongue. Sighing a little, she motioned for him to follow her.

Jake walked behind a nurse to a room with many file cabinets inside. She walked him to one of them and using a key that was dangling from a bracelet on her wrist, she opened one of the drawers. She looked through the several files inside and plucked one out. She handed it to Jake and started to move away when he quickly stopped her.

"Um… I'd like to see Chase Matthew's file too please," he said.

The nurse raised her eyebrows and turned back to the open drawer. As she looked for Chase's file, Jake started thumbing through his parents' information. There was an article cut out that was written about the car accident. He read it, slowly digesting the information as if it was a hamburger. He was awfully hungry.

_Car crash takes Annie and Thomas Matthew's lives. The parents of 17 year old, Chase Matthews, collided with another vehicle while driving. The parents did not survive the crash, but Chase, who was in the car at the time, is in the hospital. We hope Chase will make it and pray that he comes out unharmed…_

There was more, but Jake was too numb to continue reading. He turned back to the nurse and gave her the file back. She grabbed it from him and shoved it back into its place. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms across her chest and said, "No Chase Matthews, sorry. Are you sure he was in this hospital?"

"No," Jake said. "I'm… not sure." His mind was buzzing and his brain was hurting. He thanked the nurse and quickly walked out of the room. He felt as if someone had thrown a bowling ball into his stomach. He felt like throwing up. _Annie and Thomas Matthews… the parents of 17 year old Chase…_

He walked out of the hospital and got on his bike. He started riding. The air that blew around him made him feel exposed and pained. He was pedaling hard now. He was on the road with several cars in front and behind him. He usually didn't ride his bike on the road because it made him nervous, but today his mind was on other matters. Maybe that was why he didn't see the motorcycle coming.

Car horns honked furiously. Jake turned in time to see a mad drunk driving a motorcycle. He was swerving on the road and cutting cars off- and he was heading straight for Jake! Closer and closer, Jake didn't have time to think. He turned his bike over just in time. The motorcycle whizzed by, but it hit one of Jake's bike tires, spinning him around and making him lose control of the bicycle. He flew off his bike, skidding on to the sidewalk, head first.

Images flashed through his hand as he lay there on the ground, his bike next to him with the wheels spinning in the air. Cars stopped and people got out to see if he was alright. Jake's eyes were closed. Lights flashed behind his eyelids. Memories… flashbacks… they were all flowing back.

He was in the backseat of his parents' car. They were talking to him about seeing him more often. The words were ringing in his ears. He could hear his mother's voice. So clearly… it was as if she was right next to him…

"Now that you go to PCA, we hardly see you," Annie Matthews said in the front seat.

Thomas Matthews, who was driving the car, looked at his son in the rearview mirror and smiled. "How do you like that school, son? No troubles at all?"

"No, it's all good."

"Oh, you're all grown up," Annie said, sighing heavily. "Just yesterday you were in diapers and you still needed me to feed you milk through a bottle… Remember those days, Thomas? Oh… they were the best."

"Mom…"

"Well, I-"

"WATCH IT!"

Horns blared and cars skidded. Then two vehicles crashed. Then everything was dark. When he saw light again, he wasn't in the backseat of a car. He was in a hospital bed, his eyelids fluttering open. Bright lights were in his face and masked men were leaning over him. He groaned.

"He's awake!" one of the masked people said, grinning widely. "He's alive!"

"What…"

The masked person, who was identified as Doctor Kay, turned to him and asked, "How are you feeling?" The rest of the image blurred away as if it was hazy movie. When the picture cleared up again, he was standing beside a closed door, straining to listen to the conversation going on inside the room. Although he couldn't hear it, this was how the conversation went.

"Are you Chase Matthew's aunt and uncle?"

"Yes, Doctor Kay pleased to meet you."

"Hello. You obviously know that you are the new guardians of Chase Matthews, do you not?" There was a murmur of 'yes' and 'of course'. "Well, Chase has made it out alive, but I'm afraid he… has a bit of a memory disorder."

"Excuse me?"

"His memory seems to have been completely erased. He doesn't appear to remember at all who he is. It is your decision, as his new guardians, whether or not you want to give him a new identity or start him out fresh."

"Why would we possibly want to start him out fresh?"

"Sometimes it's easier to adapt to completely new situations then to lose an old one and try and re-grow into it. It is entirely your decision of course." There was a slight pause. "Of course, if you decide to give him a new identity, then it is best that he does not find out about his old one."

Jake's eyes fluttered open. People were surrounded around him, all talking at once. Comments such as 'It's a good thing he fell on the sidewalk instead of on the road' and 'Crazy motorcycle drivers' or also 'I hope he's not dead!'

Realization hit him like a boulder. He was Chase Matthews. Jake Matthews had never existed. He was Chase. The head collision had brought it all back. He slowly stumbled up to his feet. People around him gasped. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He smiled weakly at the worried citizens.

"My helmet," he said, tapping it gently with his knuckles. "It saved me from cracking my head open and bleeding all over the sidewalk." He carefully bent down and set his bike up. It seemed to be undamaged except for the many scratches that covered it. His entire body ached as well, but he had to go get Zoey…

He got in the bike and started pedaling. He was rocking back and forth slightly, just about to fall over. He was tipping… tipping… He steadied himself and kept on pedaling. His breaths were short now, but he had to get to Zoey.

Memories were coming back to him in a sudden rush now. He saw himself meeting Zoey for the first time. He saw an image of him and Michael dancing and a flashback of Logan and Dana when they had first gotten together. Chase and Zoey were sitting on a bench. He was ready to confess his true feelings, when Zoey screamed and pointed out two figures kissing under a tree. They went to go inspect and saw that it was indeed Dana and Logan.

Another image flashed into his head. A Ferris wheel… a big huge one with glowing lights… He was stuck on top with Zoey and they were kissing. It was such an image that he didn't want to get it out of his head… Then a new thought came to him. What about Zoey? Should he tell her that he was really Chase… or would that be too much for her to handle? He didn't want to give her a breakdown…

He had reached her apartment. She was standing outside, looking slightly nervous and jumpy. Jake- Chase- felt his heart jump up into his throat when he saw her. He couldn't believe that all this had happened. How could it have? One day they were just innocent kids at PCA, trying to get through the pile of homework and still manage to have fun. The next day, they're strangers, one with a memory loss.

"Hi, Jake," Zoey said, smiling as he brought his bike up to her. He smiled and motioned for her to get on the back. The smile slipped off her face as she thought of how Chase used to give her rides on his bike. She reluctantly clambered on the back of Jake's bike and held on to his shoulders.

He didn't say much and only gave Zoey one word answers when he said something. There was only one thing running through his mind and that was: _Should I tell her? _

**Hi guys. Okay, this is a parody of two Korean dramas I watched- the part where someone thinks their first love is dead, but they're actually not dead, they just had a memory problem. So yeah, I didn't come up with that idea. Anyways, I have no clue about pregnancy tests or hospital records. Those files probably don't exist in real life. But let's just pretend they do so this story can make sense- he, he… I don't really like how this story is going, personally. But I don't like to leave stories unfinished so there's probably going to be one or two more chapters and that's the end of it. **


	11. Chapter 11

"How was the date?"

Zoey had just returned from her dinner with Jake. She opened the door and pulled off her jean jacket. Holding it in her arms, she walked into the kitchen where Nicole was eating a hot dog with ketchup and no mustard. She had a large glass of milk out and was waiting expectantly for details on Zoey's date.

"It wasn't a date," Zoey said, sitting down at the table across from Nicole. She sighed. "I'm not sure what it was. He was pretty quiet for the whole thing. I thought he'd have loads to say, but it seemed like he was just off in his own little fantasy world." She groaned as Nicole took a bite of hot dog and accidentally squirted ketchup on the table. "He didn't even bring his car. He brought his bike. I don't mind bikes, it's just that…" Her voice trailed off.

Nicole froze. "Uh…" She swallowed and cleared her throat. "A bike… like Chase used to have?" She remembered her dream where Chase and Zoey had ridden on his bike off to the arcade. "Did you, by any chance, go to the… um, arcade after dinner? You know… how guys like that and stuff…"

"Oh," Zoey said, frowning. "Well… there was a really flashy, new video arcade beside the place where we had dinner so we stopped by. Why do you ask?" She stretched her legs out and yawned. "Oh… I'm so tired…" She gazed out the window and saw the cars speeding on the road. She felt a pang in her heart when she saw those cars. It made her wonder if life was really worth living when every day she felt incomplete.

Nicole was talking, but Zoey didn't hear a single word. She suddenly stood up, pushing her chair backwards. "I'm going to go up to the roof. I'll be back." She started to walk out of the kitchen when Nicole screamed and yelled, "Wait!" Zoey turned around.

"You can't go out on the roof," Nicole said frantically. "It's… cold out! You'll get sick. I don't want you to get sick. Who'll take care of you if you get sick? I can't because I might get sick and if I get sick my baby might get sick." She pointed at her stomach and looked at Zoey with pleading eyes.

"I'll take my wool jacket," Zoey said, rolling her eyes and heading to her room.

"No!" Nicole cried, jumping up. "NOT THE WOOL ONE!"

Zoey stopped at the kitchen doorway and crossed her arms across her chest. "Nicole, will you please shut up? I have a huge headache right now and I'm just going up to the roof to clear my thoughts a little, okay?" Sighing heavily, she went to her room to grab her jacket. Nicole sat at the table, feeling anxious.

_She's just going to clear her head. Okay, that's not bad. She's not going to jump off the building like she did in my dream. I mean, that would just be creepy and so unlike Zoey. She would never do that. Why am I even worrying?_

Zoey grabbed her wool jacket and zipped it all the way up to her chin. She grabbed her keys and left the apartment room. She went to the elevator and entered when the doors slid open. She pressed the button with the letter R on it. _R for roof, _Zoey thought, smiling. She wasn't sure why, but trivial things like these made her grin. The elevator headed up. She took a deep breath.

Inside the apartment, Nicole was pacing and biting her nails. Once she had cleanly bit one off, she spat it out. She didn't want it going into her stomach and possibly contaminating her baby. She walked slowly, thinking about Zoey. In her dream, she had committed suicide because she was unhappy. But why was she unhappy? Nicole paused. She knew the answer to that. Zoey was unhappy because Chase wasn't with her. If only Chase was alive. Then Zoey might have a chance of living too.

Nicole whacked herself in the head. _Don't think things like that! Zoey just went to get some fresh air. She's not going to commit suicide. No… no WAY! I'm not even going to think about it because it's not even possible. But… what if she does? No, she won't. Well if she does, will she be happier? She'll be with Chase so I don't… _

The phone rang, bringing Nicole out of her thoughts. She picked up the receiver and held it up to her ear. "Hello, Nicole Bristow speaking, how may I help you?" Her voice was squeaky and tense. She usually didn't speak in such a formal matter, but when she was nervous she babbled.

"Hi, Nicole, is Zoey there?"

"Who is this?" Nicole asked, twisting the phone cord around her fingers. There was a long silent pause. Nicole started to feel jumpy. "Hello?" she said her voice shaky. She inwardly told herself to stop freaking out.

"This is… Chase."

Nicole froze. "Huh?"

"Chase Matthews. This is Chase. I…" There was another long pause. "I'm kind of not dead." He could have slapped himself in the face for saying that. How stupid. "Okay, Nicole, this is Jake. I… I found out today that I'm not really Jake, but I'm Chase so I really need to talk to Zoey right now and… Am I making any sense?"

"No!" Nicole said, feeling extremely jumpy and confused now. "But I don't care- if you're Chase, that's good enough for me. PLEASE COME NOW! I think Zoey might jump off the roof and commit suicide and she's doing it for Chase- I mean, you. She's doing it for you. So please come now and stop her because you're probably the only one that can. She's on the roof of our apartment and she said she's just gone to get some fresh air, but I don't think so and I can't go check on her because I…" She took a deep breath. "I'm scared."

"I'll be right there," Jake said, catching his breath. He dropped the phone and ran out of his room. After he had grabbed his bike and had buckled his helmet, he tore down the sidewalks and pedaled furiously toward where Zoey and Nicole lived. He didn't know for sure that Zoey was going to die. He only had Nicole's word to back that up. But if there was even a slightest chance that she was going to commit suicide then… he had to stop her.

Once he had reached their apartment, he got off his bike. He didn't bother chaining it up. He just jumped off it and left it on the ground and ran for the elevator. He frantically pressed at the buttons, but the elevator wouldn't come. Shouting in frustration, he ran for stairs. Taking the steps three at a time, he ran all the way up until he reached the door marked 'Roof'. He flung it open and ran out. It was colder on the roof where it was so high up. Bitter wind sliced at his face. He looked around for Zoey, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

He was cold and she wasn't there. Nicole had been wrong. He bent over to catch his breath, putting his hand on his knees for support. That's when he heard it. A soft voice whispering into the wind… it was Zoey's voice. Chase stood up straight and listened hard. Maybe she would speak again. Maybe…

"Chase. I'll be with you now."

He saw her. She didn't see him. She was walking straight to the edge, her eyes glassy and her cheeks pink from the sharpness of the wind. She was going to jump off! Chase felt his throat tighten. He wanted to yell, but he couldn't. His legs were shaking and his knees were knocking together. He had to stop her. She was almost there… so close… so close… but yet, he couldn't speak.

She was taking a deep breath. She knew she was going to cut her life off right then. She squeezed her eyes shut and got prepared for her death, got prepared to meet Chase again, when she heard a sound. She whirled around. She didn't see anyone so she listened harder.

"Zoey…"

"Who's there?" Zoey called out in a shaky voice.

A figure stepped out from behind the shadows. It was Jake. Zoey felt dizzy and faint. What was _he _doing here? She was about to meet Chase and Jake had completely interrupted her! She realized she was shaking all over. Jake was walking toward her. He looked shaky too. It was as if he had just been paralyzed.

"Zoey…"

"Jake," Zoey said, staring at him. "What… what are you doing here?"

Jake moved towards her. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to say anything. When he reached her, they both stared at each other for a second. Once again, Zoey was hypnotized by his eyes. Chase's eyes… She felt herself longing for Chase, to hold him, to kiss him, to see him…

Jake leaned forward and pulled Zoey into a hug. She gasped a little as he held her close. A tear ran down his cheek as he whispered, "I missed you, Zoey." As soon as those words had come out of his mouth, Zoey knew. She looked up into his face.

"Chase?"

The name got caught by the wind and seemed to swirl around them. Chase and Zoey stood on the roof, pulled into a hug, for who knows how long. The wind kept getting sharper and the weather colder, but there they stood, holding each other like there was no tomorrow, trying to make up for the time they had missed. They held each other for all they were worth and that moment, the moment on the roof, was another memory that would remain in their lives forever.


	12. Chapter 12

Zoey climbed into bed with a genuine smile on her face. She sighed, but this one was so much different from all her other sighs. This one was a content one- a relieved, happy, satisfied one. It had been two years since Chase's identity had been set loose. Those two years were filled with happiness and bliss. They had had a party to 'welcome back' Chase. Michael was so happy to have his friend back that he started crying. Quinn had offered everyone drinks, but nobody accepted her offer. They knew better then to take anything from Quinn.

During the years, Logan and Dana's movie came out in theaters. It was rated five out of five stars and was the number one movie in the box office for quite some time. As for Nicole, she got engaged to Tony and married him a month before her baby was due. Zoey finally got to be a bridesmaid. Nicole moved out of Zoey's apartment after she married. She moved into a small townhouse with Tony (who got a job as a mechanic).The day Nicole had her baby was a sunny one. People cried and hugged and then cried some more. Nicole came home that day with a baby girl named Emily.

Chase, as he had promised, got Zoey a job at the supermarket. He had proposed to her and the two of them got engaged. After awhile, they moved in together into a small townhouse that was across the street from Nicole's house. Chase and Zoey had enough money between them to support themselves. Chase continued working at the supermarket for awhile until he got a job owning his very own video arcade. Zoey got hired by a professional fashion designer and made wedding dresses for a good amount of money. She designed her very own wedding dress and wore it down the aisle where she became Mrs. Zoey Matthews.

That day, they had had another reunion. Dustin and Katie came (they were now married and had a one and a half year old son) and so did Michael and Quinn. Dana and Logan arrived in another fancy car. Nicole and Tony arrived, pushing Emily in a stroller. Chase and Zoey had held the reunion at their house and entertained their friends with stories and games and fed them delicious dinner. Now it was late and Zoey was in bed, ready to sleep and end the day.

"Zoey?" Chase walked into the couple's room and lay down next to Zoey on the king sized bed. He looked up at her and grinned. "I've never been happier, you know, right?" Zoey laughed and bent down to kiss him. When they separated, she smiled at him and said, "I know."

The End


	13. Shout Outs

**Hi all, it's me, Sarah! That's my real name by the way. Did you guys know that? Anyways, I was just going to leave my story the way it was with twelve chapters, but I decided to add a thirteenth chapter! Well not really a chapter, more of a 'let Sarah give out a shout out to all you wonderful people who read her story!' Okay, hopefully you're all reading this because you know… it's specifically directed to you all! Oh by the way, hope you all had a good Halloween. I went trick or treating dressed a pig and got lots of candy. How about you? Anyways, starting the special shout outs from the beginning. **

**BottledBlonde- thank you for being my VERY first reviewer! You're terrific and if you have any stories you want me to read then share away because heck… I need things to do while I'm avoiding doing my homework. **

**hopefully- you also reviewed my other stories so thanks 100x a billion! I tried to update fast especially for you! Hehe**

**crazyaboutron101- thank you for your awesome review and thanks again for reading! I really wasn't expecting anyone to read this because it's quite depressing at the beginning… **

**wildgirl818- good prediction! Actually all of them were good predictions. I wasn't so good at covering up the fact that Jake was Chase was I? Hehe…**

**MrsLoganReese- hey, you faithful Zoey 101 reader/reviewer! You're terrific I love your reviews. You give me much more credit then I actually deserve though, but hey, who am I to complain:)**

**STATICxMELODY- thank you for the insanely awesome review D**

**saddle123- nope Chase didn't die :)**

**twinkleestar- thanks for your reviews! Reading them was fun and I appreciated every single word! Whoa, I almost typed world by accident. **

**COLE DYLAN LOVER- continued continued continued ;)**

**Mrs. Matthew Underwood- hehe, yeah, Zoey did hog the story a lot. I put in a Logan and Dana paparazzi scene in though, just for you!**

**ChaseandZoey- you're smart, I think you were the first one to figure out that Jake was Chase :P**

**Ghostwriter626- you people are much too smart for me! Haha, you all had your suspicions about Jake and Chase being the same person. Next story I write will have a BIG shocker so count on that! **

**britishbaby89- thank you, was it really an awesome plot twist? Aw, you guys make me blush with all those compliments. Tee hee**

**lisanic13- first time amnesia was brought up. Congratulations to you! You figured out the memory problem thing. I hope that made sense.**

**Chase Matthews- wow, you're really smart. I forgot I wrote that Jake's last name was Thomas in one chapter! My apologies if that confused anyway. That was an accident so let's pretend that Thomas was never there, shall we? Hehe**

**NoelleJoi- yeah I would have never thought of Zoey as depressed. Should have made her have like grey hair in this story or something. But okay, that's just a little strange. So yeah :)**

**lulu girl- thanks! (loads of exclamation points there)**

**music4mysoul- hey, you're my latest reviewer! Thanks for taking time for reading my story and wow I'm so glad you liked it! Also glad that you liked the ending :) **

**So to sum it all up THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! If I missed anyone (which I don't think I did…) I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, REALLY sorry. Anyways… hmm… I forget what I was going to say. I hate it when that happens. OH, now I remember. I keep saying this, but REMEMBER, the part where the guy loses the memory, but then realizes who he really is later is from a Korean drama that I watched a long time ago. Just confirming this part! Okay, so anyways, while I'm here, I'll give you guys a sneak preview of my upcoming Zoey 101 story ideas.**

A Sisterhood of the Traveling pants parody. When Quinn creates a pair of pants that fits her, Zoey, Nicole, and Dana all perfectly, the four girls create a sisterhood and share the pants, experiencing more drama, heartbreak, and excitement then ever before.

**By the way… this Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants parody will be kind of funny-ish. And if you haven't read the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants then READ IT SOON! They're awesome books :D Anyways, I guess I'll… see you all later? Okay, I'll catch you all later. Bye! **


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